A Peep at Library Research

When I was young bibliophagist I was much exercised in my mind by the question of what I should be when I grew up. I was not looking forward to adulthood with much eagerness, for it seemed to me that childhood was a pretty cushy berth. At the cost of a few household chores and some pretty easy schoolwork, one was allowed to occupy one's mind as one wished and to bury one's nose in a book just about all the time.

I didn't think I would be able to follow my mother into the noble profession of housewifery. Though I had not yet read A Very Young Housewife, I realized the absolute neccessity of a husband, a prerequisite which I instinctively sensed I was unlikely to acquire. (I was not a prepossessing child and did not expect my appeal to increase as I grew older.)

I knew I couldn't work in a store because I wouldn't be able to make change. I had never learned my addition and subtraction facts and this was long before idiot-proof cash registers. Being a nurse would be rather icky. And you couldn't be a nun unless you had a vocation. That pretty much covered all the possibilities except being a teacher. I thought I might be able to do that. After all, how hard could it be? They had all the answers at the back of the book.

It is odd, given my love of books and libraries, that I never imagined becoming a librarian. I think I must have considered them to be exalted beings whom the Deity wrought in finished form, suitably annointed, and installed into their positions accompanied by a respectful chorus of angel trumpets. Not the sort of thing to which a mere mortal might aspire.

However, by my senior year in high school I had finally realized that I could join their exalted ranks. I worked in the high school library, in the public library, and at my college library. I majored in British and American literature as an undergraduate and had even finished a post graduate semester of library science when, much to my astonishment, I suddenly found myself in possession of a husband.

Making one of those sudden U-turns in the career path, I devoted myself to building a home library and raising little bibliophagists. It’s been a satisfying life, but I still take an interest in professional librarianship. So I was delighted to discover The Classy Librarian’s blog and especially her post linking to Peep Research: A Study of Small Fluffy Creatures and Library Usage. If you’ve ever wondered about the advanced research skills of Peeps (hasn’t everybody?) or longed to read a serious comparison of the library behavior of Peeps vs. college students, this is the site to visit.

If you are primarily interested in scientific research on Peeps themselves, I recommend Peep Research. (Be sure to click on “Medical Miracle! Quintuplet Peep siblings, conjoined at birth, have been separated through this daring application of modern medicine!” Fillius2 and I were helpless with laughter.)