The rain is falling outside the window now: it taps the awnings of the structures and slides down to the ground. The cars whizzing by makes the water on the ground splash up; there is a constant flow. The weather mimics the last few days with many raindrops and little sunshine. In July, Fiya Librarian Consulting was formed as a limited liability company, to provide training, mentoring, and collaboration for public, private, parochial and charter school libraries. Fiya Librarian’s mission is to locally support the significant work that librarians do every day for students, teachers, families and the community, but this week the new company was dashed by the rain of negativity from some non-believers.
Fiya Librarian Consulting has been working and preparing for its first business pitch over the last eight days. The long process of a myriad of stages at a local community college involved learning about the foundations of booming business practices from viability to marketing to financials to assessing and managing risks. Several practice sessions with mentors and other librarians involved constructive feedback and the possibility of changes made to the final presentation. As a life-time learner, feedback is valued and often given consideration for overall improvement. Then, the day came; nervous ‘yes’, but confident still. Honestly, the business pitch was not the best presentation I had done in the last few days, I had done better; however, it was a solid pitch from the attention getter through the call to action. I told a story; it was beautiful, if I say so myself (smile). I do say so. The bible says, “let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” I practice bible principles.
However, some final feedback thought the company would not be a lucrative one; perhaps ‘making a better non-profit’ as the comment read. I NEVER had goals or aspirations to start a company, NEVER. But many events, some of which I detailed in earlier blog articles have led me to this point in time and in life. When I started library school in 2012, the research promoted a mass exodus from the profession due to many individuals retiring and that fact intrigued me along with the fact that I personally never had an African American librarian as a school aged child. So, in the second half of my education career I set out to become a librarian. And that I did. As I grew from a novice to an experienced librarian, many lessons learned and events witnessed; some of which you may hear about at another time. The most valued lesson learned is libraries represent spaces for all ages to discover a world beyond the one they currently know. And in order to facilitate learning and the desire to learn, librarians love on people in the most unique and positive ways.
Similar to the advancements of technology, the role of a librarian transforms to meet the needs of its patrons. Recently, three librarians–@3Kingvisions, @luxe_librarian, @godsdaughter85–dialogued about their roles as librarians within the public sector. Making connections with youth, collaborating with other librarians in the field, and transforming the library creates not only a safe place for patrons but a relevant one in which the role of a modern librarian starts where clients’ need begins. During an Instagram live event, these public librarians ‘spill the tea’ about contemporary librarianship and I marveled at the conversation because much of the needs they discuss–children needing a place to go after school to be productive, and adults asking for help through mentoring, and needing more funding to purchase books and materials needed to enact literacy campaigns and events sound exactly like what school librarians do on the daily.
As a business, Fiya Librarian Consulting considers expanding services to public libraries, so in my market research asking questions and listening to answers illuminate the prospects. John Light, Jr., @theblacklibrarianmale, who also works as a public librarian in youth services suggested, Fiya Librarian “use the freedom of not being employed by an organization to help libraries with ideas in teaching various skills–literacy building techniques, storytime activities, and other activities performed previously [as a career professional].” ‘Not knowing this gentleman from Adam’ as the saying goes, I am encouraged by his insightful words and shocked by how God uses others to speak the God-given dream right back to me confirming the current path is indeed the right path.
When I tell people about supporting librarians and libraries, most do not get it. Understanding the ins and outs of librarianship most people far too often misinterpret, thinking librarians have it easy because all they do everyday is read in a quiet space. Nothing can be further from the truth. On November 5 @mollydett, posted brilliant images juxtaposing what people think librarians do and what they actually do on X, formerly Twitter. As of this writing, she has 283 likes and 58 retweets. Read the comments, too; you’ll see Fiya’s remarks as well. Seeing is not always believing, but taking time to learn librarians’ stories may make you a believer.
One of my friends told me some time ago that “libraries will eventually phase out because of a lack of need. All the information is online and in electronic format”, he stated. Just like the comments from the pitch, “I disagree”, sir. Libraries and librarians are vital in the education world (or should be) because the services we provide are more than books, ebooks, databases, and storytimes, although those are some of our favorites. Today's libraries provide much, much more. The modern library provides hope. Hope for the present, hope for the future, and hope for each human; hope in each other; the experience of ‘the human factor’ is the unmistakable role of libraries.
In The Human Factor’s movie trailer, a gentleman states “we saw the world the way we wanted it to be, not the way it was.” How are you seeing the library world? Is it a dead space in your school? Is it an irrelevant building in your community? I beg you to look again; see with new eyes. Libraries, no matter what type, provide an immeasurable service. Library professionals give assistance and care, but sometimes rain comes and tries to wash away the hope, but rain only happens for a season. The light of day will come; sunshine awaits.
Lighting the way,
Fiya Librarian
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