ABSTRACT
One of the more interesting staff room discussion topics, one rarely mentioned in the literature of librarianship, centers on the question of whether reference librarians are born or made. I remain ambivalent on the question. I nod sagely at whoever has the floor at the moment, and finally decide, like Solomon, that both views are right. As a former little leaguer and erstwhile slow-pitch player, I can assert with some authority that baseball players are born. As one whose three-year-old does a better job of coloring inside the lines I can make a similar assertion about artists. But as a fan and avid reader of both Roger Angell and Tom Boswell I am constantly reminded that ballplayers develop. They go to spring training; they work their way up through the minors; they practice constantly, both on the fundamentals and on the nuances of the game. Is Pete Rose naturally great or did he make himself that way? The question is not wholly frivolous, and applies to all artists, be they painters, sculptors, ballplayers, or reference librarians.
