The Bittersweet Librarian: Full Saturation

You know, I thought I would be happy to see this day.

The day when, if a student asked for this book, I could stride over to the shelf, heroically pull it from its place, and make a kid’s day, instead of what I usually have to do: tell them “I think it’s checked out. Let’s look. Yep, checked out.” Then, weakly, “You can put it on hold. Here are some other books you might like.” Repeat.

But I’m not all that happy. When a high-demand book reaches the saturation point, it’s more of a (dramatic pause) bittersweet feeling.

Look, I know the reason we have copies on the shelf is because it’s already been read by just about everyone at my school. That’s a good thing. But it means there won’t be as many kids experiencing a great book for the first time.

I’m glad they’re there. But a bit sad too.

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