This week’s module has made me ponder on how storytelling has affected me on a personal level. In Wholehearted Librarianship, @michael emphasizes the role of our field in this, noting how “libraries have always been about access to the stories of the world, collected, cataloged, and placed on a shelf waiting to be discovered” (Stephens, 2019, p. 92). I spent a good chunk of my childhood years in Indonesia, where my mom is from. Growing up, I was an avid reader. Unfortunately, outside my school library, I had difficulty accessing free books, especially those in English.

As of 2023, there are approximately 146,500 librarians across the United States, not including library technicians or assistants (Department of Professional Employees, 2024). Comparatively, Indonesia has a librarian shortage, employing only 3,895 librarians across the country, with figures pointing out that “the country needs 439,680 librarians distributed to various types of libraries throughout regions” (Antara, 2024). That statistic is shocking, especially when taking into account that Indonesia has the world’s fourth-largest population (Statista, 2024).

I still have stacks of books tucked away at my grandparents’ house in Indonesia. I didn’t set out to be a book collector as a child, it was born out of necessity. Anytime I had any sort of allowance, I would always use the little money I had squirreled away for a trip to the bookstore (pictured above). There were no public libraries for children to explore, with most libraries reserved for academic purposes. In the eighth grade, I spent the whole summer in Philadelphia, where my paternal grandmother lived. I went to the library in her town every single day because I knew by the end of summer, it was something I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anymore. These days, whenever I am at the library and see all the families enjoying the space, I often find myself thinking…being able to visit the library shouldn’t be a privilege. Every kid deserves the right to get lost in these books and the endless stories they provide. I hope one day that becomes a reality all around the world.

References:

Antara. (2024, July 7). Indonesia faces shortage of librarians, uneven Internet access. https://en.antaranews.com/news/317907/indonesia-faces-shortage-of-librarians-uneven-internet-access 

Department for Professional Employees. (2024). Library professionals: Facts & figures. https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library-professionals-facts-and-figures#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20there%20were%20approximately,private%20corporations%2C%20government%20agencies%2C%20religious 

Statista. (2022, July). Twenty countries with the largest population in 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262879/countries-with-the-largest-population/ 

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Balance. ALA Editions.