I'm doing a "fieldwork" at my neighborhood library this quarter. Fieldwork is the iSchool term for doing a job for class credit instead of money, and I kind of like it because it makes me sound like an intrepid explorer, studying all the strange birds whose natural habitat is an urban public library branch.
I love working there. Yesterday I helped an old man sign up for his first email account, and today a little girl came in and asked for mother/daughter books, so I gave her Ramona and her Mother, which she had never read and was pretty psyched about. She and her mother are going to read it together.
Also, I'm good at working there. I really enjoy customer service, even telling people where the bathroom is. This might seem strange for a shy person and a cynic, but by and large I'm crazy about the Public, at least in situations where I feel like I can be of use to it. So far, nine out of ten of patrons has directed the question to me, rather than the actual librarian. This is probably mainly because I'm small and youngish, but I think I also just seem friendlier. People are so grateful for the smallest things if you just aren't an asshole about it.
I'm sure the bloom will wear off in a while, but for now I really feel like my life is finally pulling together in a way that makes sense. If I can just get a real job with a salary, things will be as perfect as I could ever ask for them to be. And maybe it's hubris, but I'm starting to feel like maybe I really will be able to get a job.
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