What is a librarian A person who sits at a little desk, talking in a very low voice, taking books from people who bring them back, making them pay if they have kept them too long, and stamping the date on books that are taken out Certainly not! That is the work of the most junior employee in the library. To become a qualified librarian, you first have to work in a library for a year to get firsthand experience of the work. Then you go to a special library school, usually for two years. If you pass the exams successfully, you may apply for a senior post in a public library, or even at a university.
Every English town (and many large villages too) has a public library. The chief librarian has the important task of deciding in which way to spend the money that is allocated (划拨) for the library by the council. Since the librarian buys the circulation materials, he or she must know the community in which he/she serves. A public library in a remote agricultural area, for example, might not have very much demand for a book on the problem of air pollution in large cities. However, people in a given area may be studying any subject under the sun, and these students are often quite dependent on the services of their public library, so a librarian must strive to keep a variety of books in the library no matter what locale he/she is serving. Also, librarians are usually asked to advise on the design of new library buildings, so modern libraries tend to be far more sensibly planned than those built prior to the 1900s. As libraries are often open longer hours than businesses, the librarian’s working timetable may be very different from that of his friends, and he may have a free time during the day to compensate for the evenings when he has to work. But, having such an important position in the cultural life of his community, he can never grumble that his job is boring or unimportant.

Who can apply for a senior post in a municipal library（）