A story about new chapters, chance and change
Once upon a time (in the early 2000s), in another country that was once called Yugoslavia, there was a young student. She had just started her first job as librarian in a village library at the top of dark and filthy stairs, with no bathroom or running water and a pub below.
She did not want this job. She loved books, but she was a philosophy student, focused on her next exam. She did not want to stay there. She remembered the libraries of her childhood as unwelcoming, full of forbidden books. She was focused on leaving, finding a real job in a proper office.
She did not know whether she preferred the morning or the afternoon shift. In the mornings she had to arrive early. The stairs smelled of urine and bleach. But there was more to do, so the time passed faster.
When she took the afternoon shift, she had restful mornings but less work to do. The hours felt longer and almost endless. She also couldn’t use the time to study as loud music and shouting from the pub made it impossible to focus.
The opportunity to study was the main reason she took on this job. There was so little work and so few visitors that she had ample time to attend to what was most important to her; finishing her degree and leaving.
In summer a few people and children would come for newspapers and books. But in winter almost nobody came, except a retired history professor. He seldom looked at the books and brought his own papers and documents.
He proclaimed to be writing his next big history book. If he was in good mood, he shared some of his interesting knowledge. He often had temper tantrums about the unfairness of life and the young student learned over time to just let him be.
There was also a lady who called herself a poet. Sometimes she said she was a painter. She came with bags of old clothes and mostly just sat staring into space. Sometimes she told stories of her travels across the globe, but only mentioned nearby villages as destinations.
Such uncommon encounters made the young librarian start noticing the villagers who came to the library. As the end of her degree came closer and she had less exams, she had more time to notice that not all who came to the place of books, wanted to read.
The librarian often did not know what to say or do during her encounters with the villagers. She often felt uncomfortable, but never threatened. Not even when someone pointed out that one of her regular visitors, who always read Russian poetry, was a pyromaniac who had burned down his own house.
The library was a public place, everyone was welcomed. But as the time went by, she realised something: A library should be so much more.
She saw an increase in children coming to her. Unlike when she had been a child, she allowed them to take any book from the shelves. Sometimes she would tell them to ask for adult assistance or recommend an additional, easier book.
The children returned their books – eager to talk about them. The young librarian listened and she also got to hear about their school work and home lives. The chattering children became so many that the owner of the pub complained about the rowdy library!
The librarian started to enjoy sharing her knowledge so much, that she initiated a drama club. She had had no training in librarianship and no knowledge of pedagogical methods. She simply improvised, made a few of Shakespeare’s plays child-friendly. Just before one Christmas they had their first of many successful performances.
While the library was vivid and alive, there were various challenges that she had to sort out. Without a toilet and other necessities, and with the pub right below, it became hard to have any gatherings. So, she decided to start a petition.
It was successful. The library was relocated to a newly adapted building, with walls painted by the community. Modern lights and large windows allowed for many plants. There were bathroom facilities and even a special corner for the children.
Above the small library stage, the librarian-drama-teacher hung Tesla’s quote:
“If you want to find the secrets of the Universe,
think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibration.”
And the new library’s vibrant energy reached far and wide. Highly respected and famous people in Serbia – writers, actors, and artists came to visit. Literature nights, lectures, multimedia presentations, school lessons, concerts, workshops, and exhibitions, all became weekly events. The drama workshop continued to flourish.
Somehow, as time passed, the woman forgot that she had ever wanted to leave. In the end, she did leave; to lead the Department for the Advancement of Librarianship, at the Bečej Public Library. The same librarianship she never studied for, wasn’t focused on!
She shared her story about her library, where she also met her life partner, on a website in 2024 and this is where I read it. You can read Marijana Đaković’s full account on “How a library changed my life” here: https://theeuropechallenge.eu/stories/how-a-library-changed-my-life/
At first, she always thought in terms of how SHE had changed the library. Now, older and wiser, she knows that it was more the library that had changed her course, calling and direction in life.
All the people whom she met there, made her look up from her books. Over a long period of time she refocused her energy. Thus the season she thought was just temporary, a stop-over, a short unimportant chapter, grew into her vocation, her life’s work and her joy.
