Laboyraryan. Storyteller. Demigod.

"Hey Sir! Why are you so cool?" -- that's what most of my days are made up of. Students would first ask you trivial questions, then the quizzical and then this -- and I would answer with just a SMILE :)

Recently, I have been meeting friends of friends and colleagues, and everytime they ask me what I am up to, I would say that I am a LIBRARIAN and you wouldn't [even I cannot] imagine the looks of surprise in their faces. Of course I would affirm that I am one by saying that "Yes, I am a librarian." and then they would usually say, "No way! You are so cool!" Which would of course make me think and ask,
Not surprisingly, they would instantly enumerate the typical characteristics of a librarian: grumpy-old-maiden-with-a-bun-for-a-hair-and-eyeglasses-as-thick-as-the-iceberg-that-made-the-Titanic-sink, et al. And then, I would imagine myself looking like one and would realize that NO WAY! [Ha Ha!]

So, last Thursday night when I was having my evening routine before bed, I noticed the label of my shampoo, which goes like "... makes your hair dandruff-free and leaves it cool". And I now realized [aside from being a demigod] what makes a librarian cool : MENTHOL

Make sure you are updated. Be it in the field of librarianship, news and current affairs, entertainment, or fashion, make sure you have something to say. We are information professionals, remember? Try reading newspapers, magazines, or journals. Just don't be stagnant and idle.

Enjoy what you are doing. You can never go wrong when you know what you are doing, especially when you are having fun.

Never ever doubt your profession. Of course, there will come a time that you will feel down and helpless because inevitably, people will look down your profession. What you should do is stand up straight and show them what a librarian can do. It is us, in the end, who will uphold our profession.

Teach people around you about the importance of your profession. Some may have a twisted view of librarians because of their past experiences, while some may have skewed perceptions of our profession because of what they see on social media. It is therefore our goal to enlighten them of our role.

Have an open mind. People would usually approach and ask you even of the most trivial, non-sense, absurd questions to even some of the profound, high-fallooting, even offensive questions, the key is to be open-minded. Be open to different ideas. Be receptive to changes. Be appreciative of different personalities. Get out of the four corners of the library.

Optimism is a key to success. Think happy thoughts. Dump nega/ bad vibes. Always see the brighter side of life. Never get down easily because of critics and negative comments. Always hold your head up high.

I just want to round it up with a last letter [I know I know! It wouldn't be MENTHOL anymore]. Just this one! :D

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