Librarians: In their own words

Since most librarians pride themselves on not being seen on stage (because that means all their work was correct), it always comes as a shock to hear the words “librarian to the stage, please.”

I like to think I would be first to apologize for something that I did not do correctly; however, it has been my experience that most of the time, it is a lack of information and/or communication that caused the problem. One time a guest conductor called me to the stage to complain about the sad state of the materials, and I actually had to remind him that they were HIS materials which he had delivered only 10 minutes prior to the rehearsal!

Over the years I have drawn several conclusions about the librarian’s relationship with conductors:

1. Conductors have so many things on their platter, I am certain they cannot keep track of what piece they did where and when. Consequently, when they ask for the set they used “last time” I nearly always ask WHERE they did it last time.

2. Some conductors will speak directly with the library staff. Others have managers that relay information. Many a time a manager has led our library astray. When that happens, of course we librarians are the culprits – after all, the conductor told his/her manager what to tell us, so we must have misunderstood. Grrr.

3. Oftentimes the librarian is just the scapegoat. There is usually another issue going on and we become the conduit for their angst. Rare is the conductor who will admit to an orchestra that he/she made an error or forgot to tell the library something; rarer still is the conductor who will make a public apology to the librarian in front of the musicians. I have heard of librarians filing complaints with management and even the union about a conductor’s behavior; I prefer to talk to them one-on-one about the situation. I would not be telling the truth if I did not admit that I would feel much better if a public apology were done if a public chastisement had been done.

4. For me, the most successful collaboration is one where there is a true collaboration between the conductor, the musicians, and the staff. If a conductor’s ego becomes the primary factor, the collaboration is gone, in my opinion.

We have a pops conductor who wants a librarian at all of his rehearsals. Why? This particular person wants immediate acknowledgment that someone is taking notes of his thoughts. Cuts? Yes, sir. Change in order? Yes, sir. Is the singer here yet? I don’t know but will find out, sir. Are all these things a librarian’s duty? Of course not. Does it help him, and consequently the orchestra? I believe it does. And I also think that in my own small way I am helping him get through his show, making his life a bit easier.

In summary, the librarian needs to play many roles when working with a conductor: music preparation specialist, communicator, personal assistant, sounding board… Our main hope is to be appreciated for all we have done to help “their” concerts.