Saving Librarians: Overlooked, Influential Leaders

By Amelia Nguyen

Leaders lead by making tough decisions during tough times. The decisions that are made have a great impact on everyone, whether it is directly or indirectly.

Picture a socially awkward, introverted Asian girl in baggy t-shirts and overalls with crooked glasses. That one girl who walked with her head down and sat alone on the bench waiting for the bell to ring. Just waiting for the agony of feeling like an outcast to pass once again. Now picture her coming home to a household where dad is out of the picture, mom works 10+ hours a day, and big brothers use her as a physical and verbal punching bag. As a defensive mechanism, she soon developed an angry detachment to everyone. She refused to talk to teachers fearing that they’ll laugh at her Vietnamese accent. She shied away from her peers fearing their rejections. And she hid from her brothers fearing they’ll hurt her again.

That little girl was me. By believing that those who appeared to love me would eventually hurt me, I depended on books to escape my troubles. In truth, I convinced myself that books were my only friends. True friends who would rescue me- anytime and anywhere. The familiar, musty odor of the yellowed pages of the library’s classic novels comforted me on a daily routine. Those pages stayed up with me through the wee hours of the morning, entertaining my mind with their tragedies, philosophies, humor and life’s lessons when no one would.

Seventh grade might have been a year of isolation if it had not been for my chance visits to the library during lunch. Thanks to one jolly white-haired librarian who lifted my broken wings with the magic of reading, my healing process started the day I opened The Yearling. Additionally, by learning the intense sacrifices Uncle Tom had to endure in a society dictated by discriminations and cruelty, it became easier to appreciate what little sparks of happiness that may come my way.

Instead of turning to self-destructive solutions to make life bearable, I utilized the soothing tales in books as the doors for me to escape and take solace in. The hours that I spent immersed in the various plot lines legendary authors like Charles Dickens, J.K. Rowling, Thornton Wilder, and even Meg Cabot write were the hours I freed myself from the emotional problems in my heart.

Without my jolly white-haired librarian loving me for the broken child I was, I would not have the courage to believe that I am more than just an outcast. As cliché as this will sound, she respected my ideas, cared about my well being, and loved me for me. The confident, optimistic, and independent girl that I am today would probably be a nobody without the books Mrs. B. recommended to me.

It’s scary to think about a world without Mrs. B. around. It’s scarier to contemplate how countless children are at risk of being denied a figure like Mrs. B. when the school board cancels funding for public school libraries. I understand that California is facing a difficult battle trying to balance our budgets. Everyone is aware that millions of families are hurting right now. Thus, I appreciate how leaders are taking the time and effort to listen to everyday taxpaying, law abiding workers’ perspectives before they make tough executive decisions like eliminating libraries in schools. What are your thoughts? Do you agree? I was equally surprised and honored that the Westminster School District Assistant Superintendant held a stimulating conversation with me about the economy and education at the March 4^th rally for schools. It was humbling to hear him talk about how our economy’s current situation is second only to the Great Depression.

I just want to thank you all for listening to my small attempt to fight for the children - to paint a face behind the word “librarian” and to voice how librarians and the libraries that they maintain cannot easily be categorized as “expendables.” I ask you all to consider, what will happen to children like me, who won’t have a library to take refuge in when living seems to be so lonesome and harsh? Most importantly, how are the children at risk of giving up on school, whose parents are unable to buy books or take them to public libraries, going to develop a passion for reading when schools fail to provide them with libraries? How can we preserve librarians and their often overlooked influential leadership? Would you help save librarians' and other school employees' jobs by writing about their impacts on children?