I was 34 years old before I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I mean, I always knew I wanted to be a mom, so I did that and stayed home for 11 years tending to my children. I am so grateful that I had that opportunity -- not everyone (those who want to) gets to do that.

But I knew that there would come a time when I wanted to find a calling. A suggestion from a friend set me on the path to librarianship. However, like many professions, there are assumptions and stereotypes about what librarians do. Many people think librarians just shush people and check out books. Of course, there is a great deal more to it than that.

So it's very fulfilling, every so often, to have your profession (specifically in a career field) justified. This week, that ego-boost comes from the American Library Association (ALA) and from the New York Times.

Recently, the ALA launched a website titled "I Love Libraries: Supporting One of Our Nation's Most Important Resources" at http://www.ilovelibraries.org.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of information about the significance of libraries. One of my favorite quotes from the site comes from Google's director of technology: "My guess is (it will be) about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in search."

In addition, I would like to include the quote from the president of the Association of American Publishers, "Those who declared librarians obsolete when the Internet rage first appeared are now red-faced. We need them more than ever. The Internet is full of 'stuff' but its value and readability is often questionable. 'Stuff' doesn't give you a competitive edge, high-quality related information does."

New York Times chimed in with an article about the younger generation of librarians joining the profession -- "How did such a nerdy profession become cool -- aside from the fact that a certain amount of nerdiness is now cool? Many young librarians and library professors said that the work is no longer just about books but also about organizing and connecting people with information, including music and movies."

One librarian in the article stated that she became a librarian because it "combined a geeky intellectualism" with information technology skills and social activism.

I don't claim to be as "hip" as the younger librarians but I do enjoy the focus on the fact that libraries, by providing free materials to their communities, are a source of community-building and social awareness.

Love your library!

On beyond Google

This week's featured online resource is Virtually Missouri at http://www.virtuallymissouri.org. This website is a cornucopia of historical resources, all of which have ties to Missouri history.

Want to learn the origin of the name of Petticoat Lane in Kansas City?

Would you like to take a look at pictures of the Missouri Botanical Gardens in 1890?

Did you know that the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine was working at the Washington University School of Medicine when she was awarded the honor?

Are you interested in the cradle of Kansas City jazz?

Would you like to examine portraits from Roman coins (available at the University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology)?

Take a look at this website -- the subjects range from medieval books to civil war letters to shadow puppets of Thailand.

Check it out

Sometime ago, I was approached by a man from Independence about Missouri author, Loula Grace Erdman. Armin Schannuth is a self-described railroad historian who has an interest in Erdman and offered to give a program about her at the library. He has four DVDs filled with pictures! Come to the library meeting room on July 17 at 7 pm.

New materials

Fiction

"Something Wrong" by Janet Dailey

"Bungalow 2" by Danielle Steel

"High Noon" by --Nora Roberts

Non-fiction

"Too Late to Say Goodbye" by Ann Rule

"Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics" by Paula Deen

DVDs

"Dreamgirls"

"Letters from Iwo Jima"

"Arthur and the Invisibles"

Circle of days

Wednesday, July 11, at 7 p.m. -- "Get A Clue About Magic" (Summer Reading Magic Show).

Friday, July 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. -- "Pirate Treasure Hunt for Teens."

Tuesday, July 17, at 3:30 p.m. -- "Get a Clue about Yoga-Chi" (Summer Reading Event).

Tuesday, July 17, at 7 p.m. -- "Missouri Author: Loula Grace Erdman."

Wednesday, July 18, at 7 p.m. -- "Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting."