A lot of bloggers in LibraryLand have been blogging about the highs and lows for the year, and since I’ve been struggling, I feel like I should jump in and see if that jogs my creativity again. 2021 was not the light at the end of the tunnel that I’d hoped for, but it was better, because I got back to my library and my community. So there’s that. So without further ado, I present:
The Good
I got back to my library and my community! It’s been such a relief to be back at my library home.
The return of in-person programming! It’s been slow but steady, but families are coming back for programming. We’ve been doing pop-up and grab-and-go programming, and families are staying in the library for a little longer each time.
Collection development! I got to buy books again, and it is wonderful!
I got to develop and innovate with my colleagues during our shutdown and staggered reopening.
The Meh
Patrons who think it’s cool to verbally abuse front line staff. I’ve experienced a renaissance in patrons yelling, cursing, and attempting to throw things at me, and I know I am not alone here. I know we’re largely all stressed out these days, but folx, we’re here to help you.
Depression, anxiety, the blues, call it what you will, I’ve been getting pummeled with it harder than usual and it’s affecting my blogging schedule. For that, I apologize, and I’m hoping to find my smile on a more regular basis as we move into 2022.
Continued uncertainty: budgets, variants, political climates, social upheaval, it all makes for worrisome times.
So what’s next?
So what’s next? For me, it’s getting back to writing things down to give my brain a break. It’s rediscovering my love of blogging and kidlit, and giving myself breaks, whether it’s actually using my time off or doing programming I enjoy. And continuing to keep a spark of hope for 2022.
Mom Read It 
Hear hear. 2021 was a far rougher road for public library work than I anticipated it would be. Hopefully things continue to get incrementally better throughout 2022!