This I Believe Essay - Hannah Simpson

I never thought it would happen, but in a broad sense, I find myself working in the family
business.

I am the daughter of a public school teacher and a firefighter. Their careers had such a clear
purpose. For my mother, it was to teach children, be a positive presence in their lives during
formidable years, and help out in any way to make the school or district a better place to learn
and grow. For my father, it was even more clear. Respond to emergencies, in private homes or
public spaces, and literally put out fires. (Also, the fantastic other safety work the Columbus Fire
Department does around the city.) They served their communities for a living and it took root in
my mind.

So it might seem that, ​of course,​ I would end up working in some aspect of public service. Not
the case. For the longest time, I aspired to work for a magazine or be a high powered public
relations executive. But after only 6 months working for a private company, I knew I was missing
the “why” in my work. Why was I doing this? To make money for the publisher? How did that
help anyone? I didn’t feel like my work had a mission. I left it and didn’t look back.

Shortly after this, my mother gently suggested that I visit the local library to see if I could get
part-time work while I figured out my next move. Her reasoning was that I liked to read. If
nothing else, I’d get a bunch of new titles to add to my reading list. It’s been nearly six years
since she sent me to the library with that printed out application and I’m still at that library.

I have left the library each day feeling many things depending on the day. I’ve been elated,
exasperated, annoyed, determined, but always certain that the work I did that day helped
someone who needed it. I found that serving my community gives me more than I could ever
give it but I’ll never stop trying to give more.

It is the concept of service and mission that makes working in a public library the place for me. I
believe in the mission of public libraries. We make life long learning possible and we try to
remain a solid pillar of our communities. Using that mission as a guideline going forward, you’ll
find me at the library.