In praise of Dan Brooks

I've mentioned Dan before. He's a librarian at the Cary Public Library. He organized the library's SF writers event that I attended last October, and he also chaired the book club meeting that I visited Tuesday night and discussed in yesterday's blog entry. Dan's a quiet guy, at least in my experience, and he's an earnest one. He cares about books and reading and science fiction. He buys a box of cookies for the book club from his own pocket because the library has no food budget. (I know nothing about his salary, but in my experience librarians are not exactly overpaid or rolling in dough.)

Dan and I aren't really friends. We don't hang out. I've seen him at these events and nowhere else. All I know about him is what I've experienced in those few contacts. (I know enough from just them, however, to guess that he'll probably be embarrassed that I'm writing this about him.)

My world, though, is better for Dan being in it. So are the worlds of the book-club members, and those of the many folks who attended the events he helped organize.

Airlines sometimes hand out comment cards so you can send something nice to their headquarters about particularly helpful staffers. Maybe libraries do the same, but if so, I didn't spot such a card as I left the Cary library last night. So, this blog entry will have to do.

Cary Public Library officials, if you're listening, here's one man's vote that you should be damn proud to have Dan Brooks on your team. Whatever you're paying him, it's not enough.

Sorry, Dan, for embarrassing you.