My job as a Librarian is like...

Thanks to contributions from friends, here is the response:

My job as a librarian is like - a Detective - I hunt for information.

My job as a librarian is like - a Photographer - I develop collections.

My job as a librarian is like - an astronaut – I go in orbit from time to time.

My job as a librarian is like - a Handyman - I fix things.

My job as a librarian is like - a Detective - I find lost things.

My job as a librarian is like … a zookeeper – I try to keep the herd (of students) under control.

Shhh… my job as a librarian is like - a spy - I classify information.

My job as a librarian is like … an employment counselor - I help students with their references.

My job as a librarian is like - Jury or Judge – Evaluate evidence

My job as a librarian is like - a gourmet chef – Use choice ingredients (aka information) and presentation is important.

My job as a librarian is like - a Marketing expert – Devise plans to get people excited about our services

My job as a librarian is like - a Funeral director – Bury old practices (like card catalogs)

My job as a librarian is like - a Budget analyst – Decide if we have enough money based on usefulness for that new database

And too realistically sometimes - My job as a librarian is like - a Pothole Filler – Patch the carpet and other things so that they can be patched again the next year and the year after that and the year after that until someone finally gives us funding for the needed replacement

My job as a librarian is like - a lover … I am a novel lover.

My job as a librarian is like - a bookie - I am the happy booker.

My job as a librarian is like - a checkout clerk – I’m constantly scanning barcodes
Also like a James 5:16 Employment Agency - I hire student workers and pray fervently………

My job as a librarian is like - an Obstetrician - I set Due Dates and Assist with Deliveries

My job as a librarian is like - a computer - I organize and collect information that get stored for an unlimited amount of time.

My job as a librarian is like - a family physician - I prescribe things and make referrals.

My job as a librarian is like - a fast food worker in a drive-thru - students run in looking for a few articles, print off the first five that pop up and run back out the door

My job as a librarian is like - a chiropractor - I make adjustments all day long

My job as a librarian is like - a linguist - I speak MARC fluently

My job as a librarian is like - the needle of a compass - I keep trying to point researchers in the right direction.

My job as a librarian is like - a matchmaker - I match patrons to information.

(Working in a Bible college setting, sometimes I assist in matching patrons to patrons.)

Enough humor; let's get serious. My job as a librarian is like - a stable hand - I shovel....

That means librarians are very stable people, right? :)

My job as a librarian is like MapQuest, (ed.: travel agent) - I (occasionally) help students to get from point A to point B; sometimes literally.

My job as a library director is like - a rancher - only what I'm trying to herd are cats.

My job as a library director is like - a stapler - We are very good at keeping things all together.

Variations on a theme:
I’ve been waiting on all the circulation folks out there to say that their job is like a meter maid because they issue fines

In the same vein I’ve always said that God’s first job was as librarian.
In the beginning He found chaos and brought perfect order to it in only six days. Now Ray—And on the seventh day He rested.

The official librarian's hymn: "When I can read my title clear."


And here is what I came up with last night:
My job as a librarian is like -- A Gardener - I weed (books),

My job as a librarian is like -- A Seamstress - I sew (signatures together) and work with material

My job as a librarian is like -- A Chef – I cook (a book in the microwave to soften glued spines)

My job as a librarian is like -- A Mother – I mentor and nurture (my staff under me)

My job as a librarian is like -- A Diplomat – I work with an academic administration that is sometimes foreign to Library thinking.

My job as a librarian is like -- An Ambassador – I promote the library in the community

My job as a librarian is like -- A Curator – I care for old books (and old maid librarians!)

My job as a librarian is like -- A Mediator – I mediate conflicts between staff members, or staff and patrons.

My job as a librarian is like -- A Facilitator – I help bring people and the information they are looking for, together

My job as a librarian is like -- A Miner – I mine for information in metadata

My job as a librarian is like -- A Doctor – I mend (books); deal with cuts (in budgets,) breaks (in pipes), and diagnose (people’s information needs)

My job as a librarian is like -- An Opera Singer – I’m not done until this fat lady sings

My job as a librarian is like -- A Fortune Teller –I (try) to look into the future with my 5 year plan

My job as a librarian is like -- A Lawmaker –I write new policies

My job as a librarian is like -- A CIA Detective –I do reference interviews, trying to get information “covertly”

My job as a librarian is like -- A Rubber Band – I try to make my money stretch through the end of the year

My job as a librarian is like -- A Sears’ employee – I catalog material

My job as a librarian is like -- A Preacher – I try to get to the soul of the matter

My job as a librarian is like -- A Fireman – I am always ‘putting out fires’

My job as a librarian is like -- An architect/Artist – I draw up plans for library expansion

My job as a librarian is like -- A Doorman – I help people thru’ the door of knowledge to a whole new world of info.

My job as a librarian is like -- A Bridge builder – I help people cross the information gap

My job as a librarian is like -- A Music Conductor – I have to bring harmony back when there’s discord; I orchestrate meetings, staffing, events, duties, etc.

My job as a librarian is like -- A Juggler – I have to balance my budget

My job as a librarian is like -- An Explorer – I help people discover new worlds

My job as a librarian is like -- A Fruit picker – I got some information from here, and from here, and some from over here and bring it all together

My job as a librarian is like -- A Thief – I break in (books)