by Stephanie Leigh Taylor, Head Editor, INALJ British Columbia
Why We Do What We Do the Way We Do It
What draws a person towards a career as an information professional? Is it an obsessive need to have things in their right place, the satisfaction of everything formatted correctly, the thrill of a perfectly set-up database? Is it a freewheeling appreciation of reckless teaching & learning, as the contents of a library contain the history of humankind’s learning, thinking and doing? Do we do what we do because we love stories, or engaging ourselves and our communities in cerebral adventures? Are we drawn to information because some of us grew up with computers and were drawn into a life of codes and flash in order to educate others of our passions, or allow others to share with the world?
I’ve been thinking about this lately, due to a book I recently finished titled “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. In it, the protagonist attempts to solve a centuries-old mystery of the written word using a variety of tools both old and new, computers and e-readers as well as printing presses and audiobooks (on cassette, my god). He does this primarily to help his employer, but also, I think, to satisfy the curiosity that draws many of us to the information profession, the urge to know, or if not to know, then at least to have that which contains knowledge within our grasp. What could be more satisfying, more delicious, than to stand as a gatekeeper, a guard, a sentry, over all of humanity’s efforts and that most pure of substances, information?
And get paid for it?
With the right information, as we all know, we can do anything – plant gardens, do taxes, deliver babies, wage wars, cook, have sex, understand theoretical physics or just re-tile your bathroom. Hand in hand with that comes the organization of information, because what good is a mass of information with no way of getting at it? As items are described, we make connections between disparate material, and in doing so, understand the world.
I believe all of us in the information biz, no matter our roles, are in this career due to our curiosity and our desire to arrange what we learn into new shapes and connections, to add to what has been already known and to share discovery with others. Thoughts or stories on why you joined to information brigade? Please share with the rest of us – it’s always fascinating to hear how other people fall in love. Here is the LinkedIn INALJ discussion you can join on this topic.