“Hungry kids can’t focus on books.”
I didn’t plan to start a series like this—but honestly, I didn’t plan to be here either.
After being terminated from my library job for speaking up about a toxic work environment, I lost a lot more than just a position. I lost my footing. I lost my sense of direction. And if I’m being really honest, I lost hope in librarianship for a while.
This blog started as a way to stay connected to the field while I figured out what came next. I wasn’t ready to walk away completely—but I also wasn’t sure how to move forward.
Then I started talking to people again. Other librarians. Former coworkers. New connections. And the more I listened, the more I realized something important: what I experienced wasn’t isolated.
So many of us have encountered difficult, frustrating, complicated situations in this field. Different circumstances, different libraries—but the same underlying themes.
We don’t talk about it enough. Or when we do, it’s in private messages, side conversations, quiet venting in safe spaces.
And we need more than that.
We need a place to say the hard things. To vent. To process. To share the wins, too—the moments that remind us why we’re still here, or why we stayed as long as we did.
That’s where this series comes from.
Library Voices: Unfiltered is exactly what it sounds like—real conversations with library workers about what this job actually looks like right now. No polishing. No filtering. Just honesty.
For this first conversation, I spoke with an anonymous library supervisor in a public library system in the Southeast. She asked to stay anonymous—and as you read, you’ll understand why.
One of the first things she said to me wasn’t about programming or outreach or even books. It was about pay.
“We are so underpaid, it’s pretty much impossible to do this as a single person. My husband jokingly refers to this as a ‘rich husband’ job.”
It’s blunt, but it’s not surprising. A master’s degree required. Salaries that don’t come close to reflecting that. And yet, people stay.
Not because it’s easy—but because it matters.
“I love libraries. I love what they stand for. Even on my darkest days, I still feel that love.”
And that tension—between loving the work and struggling within it—just keeps coming up.
We talked about the perception of libraries, and honestly, it’s the same frustration so many of us share.
“Yes, it’s about the books—but if it were just about the books, this field would die.”
She goes on to list everything else:
“We are a resource receptacle. A third space. Free art classes, free entertainment, social worker on staff, language apps, eBooks, audiobooks, games, video games, literal conventions… I could go on all day.”
We all could.
And yet, somehow, we’re still explaining this to people.
Then the conversation shifted—and this is where it gets harder.
Because the reality she’s working in right now? It’s not just about budgets or staffing. It’s political. It’s personal. And it’s constant.
“If we speak up, we risk getting fired.”
Not “we might get pushback.” Not “we’ll get complaints.”
Fired.
She shared moments that shook me. Displays being pulled. Book selections being scrutinized. Programs being quietly reshaped to avoid backlash.
“At one point we were asked to pull all displays because someone complained there were not enough Christian books on display.”
“I was told to take down a banned book display.”
“I’ve had to monitor book club selections after the way The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was received… it was like a weird confessional.”
And this:
“My day-to-day is affected by a cautiousness in what we put out, what we highlight, and who actually knows me.”
Who actually knows me.
Think about that.
There was one story she shared that I haven’t been able to shake.
A teen came in asking for a book. A book she wanted to say yes to.
“I literally told her, ‘I’d love to check that out to you, but I would lose my job.’”
That’s the line so many people don’t see—the one between professional values and actual job security.
“Our funding is tied to what we allow children to check out. If I’m the reason behind losing funding, I would definitely lose my job.”
So instead, they adapt. They find workarounds.
“If it’s questionable, we age it up. Juvenile becomes YA, YA becomes adult. I’m not saying I agree with it—it is what it is.”
It’s not ideal. It’s not what we were trained to do. But it’s how people are surviving in these roles right now.
And then, in the middle of all of that, she told me about outreach.
About a time when SNAP benefits were on hiatus—and she knew the kids she was seeing didn’t just need books.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I showed up with books but no food.”
So she asked for help. On her personal Facebook page. Quickly. Urgently.
“Hungry kids can’t focus on books.”
And what happened next?
“Kids would holler out to other kids. Kids would bring in older siblings. We had so many teens that month. The gratitude was huge.”
It’s one of those moments that just… grounds everything.
This is the work. This is what it looks like when libraries show up as community spaces—not just institutions.
When we talked about teens, especially in more restrictive environments, her approach felt both practical and quietly radical.
“LISTEN to children.”
“Talk to kids like they are real people.”
She talked about finding readalikes when you can’t hand over the exact book. About making sure every kid can still find themselves somewhere in the collection—even if it’s not on display.
“Maybe you can’t display them, but keep books for the gay kids, the trans kids, every group—and know where they are so you can point a kiddo in the right direction.”
That’s the kind of work that doesn’t show up in reports. But it matters.
A lot.
We also talked about something that doesn’t get said enough when people suggest “just push back.”
“Speaking up doesn’t just mean losing your income—it means death threats, doxxing, being ostracized by the community.”
So when people stay quiet, or choose their battles, or work behind the scenes instead of out loud—it’s not because they don’t care.
It’s because they’re trying to survive.
Not everything we talked about was heavy, though. Some of it was just… good reminders.
Like this, when I asked about programming and partnerships:
“Make friends. Literally friends.”
It sounds simple, but it’s true.
“Find out who loves their library and has something to share… scratch backs with time and attention and you will see a return.”
And for outreach?
“Look for where the library is not—and bring it there.”
Toward the end, we talked about burnout. About what keeps her going.
And I think this is the part that will resonate with a lot of you:
“Knowing that I am doing big things in service to my community… making an actual difference in the overall quality of life.”
“Knowing that I am ushering in the next generation of library lovers.”
Even now. Even with everything.
I asked her what she worries about—and she didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I worry that we won’t exist.”
“I worry about the elimination of YA.”
“I worry we’ll be regulated by arbitrary government rules.”
But then she said this:
“Kids are still reading. The pendulum will swing back.”
And honestly, I think a lot of us are holding onto that same hope.
Before we wrapped up, I asked what she would say to someone thinking about going into youth services.
“After telling them to marry rich…”
“It is the most rewarding thing they will ever do.”
“They are helping children see themselves in stories… The impact will be felt long after they are gone.”
If there’s one thing I keep coming back to, it’s this:
“Libraries are the great equalizer.”
“I can do for a famous person the same thing I can do for a homeless person.”
That belief is still there. It’s still driving the work. Even when everything else feels uncertain.
This is what Library Voices: Unfiltered is about.
Not polished success stories. Not strategic plans. Just real people, doing this work, navigating everything that comes with it.
If you’re in it too—you’re not alone.
And if you’ve got a story to tell, I’d love to hear it. Fill out the form HERE to be considered for this continuing series.
If you enjoyed this post and want to see others like it, check out these popular posts!
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