I am a Catholic Librarian as well. I work as a Children’s Librarian in a large city public library. So glad to see this post. I have been horrified to see porn aimed at children defended as “free speech.”
I had a lovely pastor talk me through an especially difficult situation at my library a couple of years ago (I was being asked to purchase morally corrupt materials for a library giveaway at a city-sponsored pride event) and I think there are two equally heart wrenching approaches to our profession at the moment: stay in and fight in the ways you can, always working to promote the good over the bad, or decide that your talents are meant to be used elsewhere. Fortunately, my decision was made easier by the birth of my son, and our decision to prioritize him over my (library) career, but I do really miss certain aspects of public librarianship. My writing here really fuels my need to bring resources to others and use my research skills, but I absolutely love libraries and desperately hope that one day I'll find one to work in that doesn't feel like such a battleground, but a place of learning and collaboration as it should be. You're in my prayers - as tame a field as people seem to think we are in, it has become anything but!
I do think that our field is swayed so much by the political climate, and things cannot keep trending this way for too long before they are forced to swing back in the other direction. That doesn't make decisions any easier, but it is certainly a hope that I hold on to!
I am a Catholic Librarian as well. I work as a Children’s Librarian in a large city public library. So glad to see this post. I have been horrified to see porn aimed at children defended as “free speech.”
I used to love this job. Now I wonder if I am doing more harm than good in enabling this morally corrupt system
I had a lovely pastor talk me through an especially difficult situation at my library a couple of years ago (I was being asked to purchase morally corrupt materials for a library giveaway at a city-sponsored pride event) and I think there are two equally heart wrenching approaches to our profession at the moment: stay in and fight in the ways you can, always working to promote the good over the bad, or decide that your talents are meant to be used elsewhere. Fortunately, my decision was made easier by the birth of my son, and our decision to prioritize him over my (library) career, but I do really miss certain aspects of public librarianship. My writing here really fuels my need to bring resources to others and use my research skills, but I absolutely love libraries and desperately hope that one day I'll find one to work in that doesn't feel like such a battleground, but a place of learning and collaboration as it should be. You're in my prayers - as tame a field as people seem to think we are in, it has become anything but!
I do think that our field is swayed so much by the political climate, and things cannot keep trending this way for too long before they are forced to swing back in the other direction. That doesn't make decisions any easier, but it is certainly a hope that I hold on to!