Being a Daring librarian

Back in October, in our class, Foundations of Library and Information Science, we had our choice of major assignments. Either we could create an annotated bibliography on a current issue in librarianship, or we could get out in the world and do a Dare for the Stephen Lewis foundation. Well, I had entered librarianship in part because I wanted to get away from writing things that had little consequence in the real world and to make an impact and engage with the people, so I, along with a group of fantastic fellow students, embarked on a library-related Dare.

We had no idea that Street Reference would become a phenomenon.

The reaction has been incredible, and a bit overwhelming. The Dare took off when we got in touch with the Ontario Library Association (OLA), with a fantastic response from librarians. We ended up featured on the faculty Web site. Our promotional blurb was printed in Feliciter. Then I was asked to write an article for OLA's Access magazine. And today, Katya and myself went along with representatives from other universities to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to discuss the event, fundraising, activism, how to engage university campuses... and to have dinner with Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.

It's a bit overwhelming to get all this attention, to get so many rewards when you don't expect them. I entered librarianship without much of a path in mind, without any particular expectations, but these amazing projects keep opening themselves up to me. An assignment about modes of transmitting information which my team and I put way too much effort into ended up getting broadcast to the entire faculty. A required course ended up being a huge project about creating an on-demand book service for First Nations communities in remote areas (taught by the same professor who gave us the Dare assignment), which I'll probably stay attached to for a while. And then the Dare, which will hopefully become an annual event, performed by librarians in cities all over Ontario as they learn about the idea.

Getting engaged with the real world is something you don't expect out of a university program, and it's incredible how many opportunities we actually have to do so. Working with the Stephen Lewis Foundation has been a privilege, and I'm honoured to be one of the people consulted about how to encourage involvement on campuses and beyond. I've always thought of myself as a pretty quiet person, but looking back on the things I do, getting out there, getting noticed, and working with people seems to be a talent of mine. It's reaped some immense rewards - I'm not even finished my second term yet. And it could do so for librarians in general, too.

We've got to get out there and get engaged. You wouldn't believe how interested and responsive people are when you get out and talk to them and tell them what you're doing. I've seen a lot of wonderful things librarians are doing, but you don't know about them unless you're looking for them, or you're part of the profession. People respond to activism. And people like it when you talk to them. It's time to get out of the stacks and into the streets.