Despite difficult financial conditions, the councillors of Bolesławiec municipality managed to keep all the libraries in the municipality open. They deserve thanks for that, because these libraries are remnants of culture that still exist in individual villages. It must be acknowledged that a librarian’s work is not limited merely to lending books.
The scope of work in a library is expanding more and more. The employees of individual libraries must constantly acquire new knowledge in order to meet various needs. A librarian must be a teacher when a child comes asking for help writing an essay, solving an exercise, and so on.
A librarian must be an adviser to mothers and wives who come to the library with their problems and seek solutions in specialist literature. A little medical knowledge is sometimes useful when it is necessary to look for advice in medical literature. A rural library also serves as an office for drafting applications, because where else can people go to find a template for writing an application or a résumé, or to have a school certificate copied?
Currently, many village residents come to the library with tax declaration and statement forms, asking for help filling them out. Rural librarians will therefore have to pursue further training in this area so that they can help people. Although this work does not fall within the duties of a library employee, can one refuse the service and say, “I don’t know how to do that”? I believe not, because library employees work and exist for the individual villages. And although this work is recorded nowhere, they nevertheless perform it with a certain satisfaction, feeling needed. Being able to help others is a joy, and successfully resolving a matter is a success. We are often worth as much as we can do for others.