Celebrating Librarians

Despite the best on intentions, I never got anywhere near the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival over the weekend (I did make it to Auckland but that was only to help a friend haul furniture and attempt yet again to break my ankle).

However Christchurch Libraries sent along a couple of people to watch, listen, interview and report. And in celebration of librarians we include here an excerpt from their interview with author Junot Diaz.

We had decided to ask most of our interview subjects about libraries, and if he wasn’t a rock star before, Diaz won himself a librarian army when he said:
“Libraries are a weird thing if you actually think about it. It’s sort of like the logic of capital minus the logic of capital. It’s a place where you can get books for free – and as long as you bring them back – everything’s cool.
“Could you imagine a clothing cultural component like that? Where you could, as long as you orderly waited and wrote your name on a list, rent out an Armani suit in brand new condition and just wear it and bring it back?
“Both are products, it’s just an accident of history that we’ve attributed one a cultural component and the other not. For a poor kid a library to me was as like a miracle to me as if you discovered if you could sign your name and take out a whole wardrobe of Armani clothes. Every day. For the rest of your life. That’s what a library felt like.”
The assured, velvety-smooth drawl went on as whatever song the librarian army would sing was turned up to 11 on the old rotary dial stereo in staffrooms around the nation.
“I never understood the image of librarians in popular culture. Old, sort-of doddering – every librarian I ever had was incredibly young, energetic and hip – even if they were 60. And would take their time for this snot-nose kid from the Dominican Republic to guide them to texts.”
“Everyone has this idea of the valiant archetype – the scout who leads you through the new land. New Zealand has that, the myths of all their like pioneers; Australia, the United States.
“In the end, the only forest really worth being led through is the forest of the mind, books. In a sense librarians are these incredible scouts for this inner frontier. No-one views it as that but for me it was more important than anything having those kinds of scouts who would guide you…”

To read the whole interview (and link through to other commentary and interviews from the Festival) head to the Christchurch City Libraries website. Well done Christchurch.