Customer Reviews

Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If Don Borchert worked at the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Post Office, he probably could have produced a very instructive and entertaining account of his life on the job. As it is, he works at a public library, and so he has produced an instructive and entertaining account about his life there. He is a thoughtful observer of the passing scene and a careful recorder of the offbeat. He knows what sorts of things can turn up in an overnight book drop, and he knows what sorts of things can go wrong when a police officer introduces a drug-sniffing dog to a children's reading group. More important, he knows what a public library means to the homeless, the latch-keyed, the desperate, and the socially ambitious, as well as to the more general public. He draws upon two decades of experience, and he tells a story that is by turns funny, heartwarming, disturbing, and inspirational. I read the book in a single sitting, and I've never felt better about the portion of my tax dollars that go to the local public library.

I am amused and mystified by the range of reviews Mr. Borchert's autobiographical "Free For All" has engendered on Amazon. I am a professional librarian myself -- I understand from the author's job title he is not, in fact, actually a librarian proper. However, this does not deride his work, nor does it detract from the accuracy of his portrayal of quotidian urban library life.

I myself work in an inner city public library. If nothing else, I am pleased that "Free For All" casts a blindingly truthful light on what public servants toiling in this sphere--particularly in an URBAN setting, which is as disparate from pleasant, suburban / rural libraries as the Antarctic is from the Sahara--encounter every day.

Public libraries have largely become repositories for the disenfranchised and miscreants. Of course we still have our faithful cadres of patrons who require information and who seek access to (*gasp*) BOOKS, whether they be novels or works of non-fiction. However, my own library is a virtual homeless haven, with loitering, often unconscious, individuals taking up space at the reading tables, which are only infrequently inhabited by more alert persons reading a newspaper or utilizing a laptop computer.

We also find hordes of malcreant youths, tweens, and young children, who, having no supervision of any kind in their homes, descend upon us en masse after school hours from September to June, while in the summer they arrive anywhere from 9 am onward. We do an excellent job of reaching out to these very necessary young people, but I find the majority of them have a positive aversion to behaving properly in a library setting.

Finally, I was very much pleased that this memoir-like work made it clear that librarians are, indeed, the very keepers of the modern concept of multi-tasking. We do so much for so many with so very little support from administrative circles, it's about damn time someone wrote about it.

And for the record, I laughed out loud at many of his tales. Well done, Don! William Manley himself could not have penned a better tale of librarianship in the modern world.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I'm not offended by Borchert's title or the book. Instead, I find it accurately portrays the highs and lows of working in public libraries. After thirty-four years, I've met most of his patrons, and lived through many of his stories. He's accurate, at times funny, and he tells the truth about public libraries as they are today. I don't keep many books, since I have access to so many. This is a keeper for me.

Don Borchert's "Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library" will appeal to public librarians (like me) who serve a diverse group of people: young and old, highly educated and barely literate, beautifully attired and dressed in smelly rags, courteous and rude, appreciative and demanding--we somehow deal with them all. Libraries represent the democratic concept of free access to books (in many languages), magazines, computers, multi-media items, and programs suitable for all ages. We, the librarians, trust our patrons to fulfill their side of the bargain--that they will care for the materials they borrow and return them in a timely fashion.

A library is not just "a mecca for scholars and students." It is also a magnet for "the homeless, the mentally ill, occasional pedophiles, unattended children down to the age of two, thieves, [and] beggars." Some naive librarians believe that reading is an elixir that will make everyone a better person and bring him closer to "the promised land, page by page." More often, the public library functions merely as a respite from the winter's biting winds and the summer's stifling heat. The patrons relax, browse through magazines, send emails to their relatives, read the latest newspapers without having to fork over fifty cents or a dollar, and even make new friends. In some libraries, people can now eat and drink, chat among themselves (as long as they do not create a din), and even talk on their cell phones if no one catches them and asks them to take their conversation outside.

Borchert settled on library work after stints as a salesman in a record store, a proofreader, a grill chef, and other unimpressive gigs. He earned lowly wages, occasionally slept in the back of his car, and enjoyed the carefree lifestyle of an unattached young man. However, when he married and had children, he recognized the attraction of a steady paycheck. A friend told him that she was applying for a civil service job in the South Bay Library system in California. She tempted him by emphasizing the "civil service" aspect: You can be a dolt, but once you pass probation, the only way to be fired is to do something egregiously horrible. "Keep your mouth shut and you're golden." Although he never earned a degree in library science, he is college-educated (Ohio State), a voracious reader, and qualified enough to have held a job as an assistant librarian for twelve years.

"Free for All" is fun. Borchert's tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, and occasionally profane approach to his subject is entertaining, hilarious, and irreverent. He is a terrific raconteur who tells true stories about larcenous, irrational, abusive, and troubled patrons; compassionate, dedicated, and talented colleagues; individuals who bond with the staff and become part of the "library family"; and those few treasured customers who cherish the library and are grateful for all the perks that it provides.

With wit and style, the author gives a realistic account of the radical changes that have altered public libraries forever. The prissy, stand-offish librarian who recoils at the slightest noise can no longer function in today's library. Nowadays, public librarians must be emotionally tough, computer savvy, flexible, sensitive to religious and ethnic differences, and capable of handling potentially explosive situations with aplomb. No longer is the library a sheltered bastion of civilization and "a place of innate nobility." The world has invaded the library and all of the world's problems are now the library's problems. Both parents work full time? Let the kids hang out at the library until closing. Bomb scares, drug dealers, and drunks are also part of business as usual these days.

The Internet and online databases provide librarians with resources that were undreamed of in the past, and in many ways the job is easier and more gratifying than ever before. However, there is a downside to the Internet, especially when off-kilter patrons come in to view porn. As wonderful and welcoming as the public library still is, it is no longer the quiet and protected safe haven that it used to be. For anyone considering a career as a public librarian, "Free for All" is an accurate and amusing introduction to both the rewards and drawbacks of this challenging profession.

I am enjoying this book alot as I am also a Library Assistant. It seems that from Georgia (where I am) to California (where the book is set), libraries are pretty much the same with the same set of quirky, nice, and annoying people who patronize them. I enjoyed the funny parts more than the parts about children who have horrible home lives. The poignant stories are really just a depressing reality in today's society. I am just glad that the children in his book have a library to go to.

I wanted to like this book. I work in libraries and know how insane the environment is. Contrary to the cute title, this book can only be described as painfully dull. I'm frankly shocked by how many positive reviews this book is getting, but then again there's no accounting for taste. I encourage anyone interested in reading this book to search the USA Today website for the sample chapter. If you enjoy it, then you might enjoy the book. If you don't, but think that maybe it'll get funnier once he starts telling his library stories, I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't. The main problem is that this writer doesn't have a voice. It's just a series of "interesting" (I use the term loosely) things that happened in his life, and at times the books feels as though he is going through a checklist; "let's see, did I tell them the one about the bathroom drug deal? I did? Good! Next!" I wish the material were good enough for the writer to somehow get away with having no personality, but that's not the case here. Hopefully he'll find his voice in his next book.

Haven't been in a library in awhile? Still looking for the card catalog? Do you remember your librarian looking like Donna Reed in "It's a Wonderful Life?" Do you think the library is a "safe" place, akin to seeking sanctuary in a church? Do you imagine that librarians have little to do but sit around all day and read magazines until someone comes in needing assistance? Do you harbor warm fuzzy feelings about the library of your youth?

THEN THIS IS THE MUST READ BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOU!!

I'm a librarian, and the majority of my career has been spent performing tasks and using "skills" never taught in any masters program for librarians. The only problem with Mr. Borchert's book is that it wasn't nearly long enough for me. Everything he describes is so terribly, sadly true, and this is just the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

This is a MUST READ for anyone considering a career in this field.
This is a MUST READ for any psychiatrist who still suggests to his slightly demented patients that they seek jobs at the library, since it is obviously an easy, pleasant, stressless, quiet job!
This is a MUST READ for anyone who belongs to a "library foundation;" a typical monied group I have found most out of touch with reality.
This is a MUST READ for anyone who fantasizes about how pleasant it would be to work as a public librarian.

In my daily duties as a librarian, I am expected to perform as a social worker, legal advisor, physician, babysitter, mother, teacher, disciplinarian, security guard, computer expert, and clairvoyant, just to name a few.

As the nation's changing population has become less and less sure what exactly the library does, libraries everywhere have anxiously attempted to become the be-all and do-all for every citizen, lost soul and ne'er-do-well in the nation. As a result, most libraries continue to provide more and more new mediocre services every day, as library administrators continually attempt new bizarre, all-encompassing visions, missions, and projects.

Kudos to Mr. Borchert; at least it was very cathartic reading the truth.

Life in the stacks
I think that this book is a review of the librarian's world if you have been seriously associated with a library. Nice to know that all libraries are free for reading, babysitting, social services and incidentally for education. If you are not familiar with libraries this is truly an introduction and if you are interested in working in one, be prepared--forget the library courses and learn crowd management, child psychology and all emergency phone numbers.

I can't imagine anyone finding this a boring book. I certainly didn't. Nor did I hold it against the author that he choose to call himself an Assistant Librarian rather than a Library Assistant. I assumed that different states must just have different terminology for their library personnel. And Borchert made it clear that there was a difference between him (with a BA degree) and the career Librarians (with Master's degrees). Anyway, I daresay that the clients of the library just call all who work there 'librarians' as a general term.

As I said, I couldn't disagree more with those reviewers who found it a dull book. For myself, I found it alternately funny and moving. I laughed out loud several times, and teared up twice. Very successful 'slice-of-life' memoir -- highly recommended.

This little book is not too deep but it will keep you interested, especially if you're a frequent patron of your local public library. Borchert has unloaded the surprisingly stressful true stories of the public librarian (or more accurately, the library worker, of which he is one). The book is pretty funny throughout and occasionally poignant. Some other reviewers are correct about the book's main weakness - it's basically a list of stories that zoom by with few larger points being made. Borchert could have used his stories to celebrate the greatness of librarians - how they selflessly put their unique skills to use for the community, and how they need help from the community in order to remain viable. But on the other hand, the book is a pretty good collection of human observations, covering the many types of eccentrics who take advantage of public servants or depend upon them, and Borchert is an especially keen observer of the problems faced by disadvantaged kids. He's also an unusually laidback library worker with a sense of humor - which is apparently a rarity, as can be seen in some of the negative reviews here from defensive librarians. [~doomsdayer520~]