Experience Necessary

From Uzbekistan to a Desk at the Library
by: Ralph Blumenthal

With 49,000 loans a month, the Queens Library at Broadway is a busy place in the busiest public library system in the nation — circulating more books, tapes and videos (23 million a year) from its 63 branches than its Brooklyn counterpart or the combined branches of the separate New York Public Library. The library, at 40-20 Broadway, where Astoria meets Long Island City, is scheduled to reopen Wednesday after nine months of renovation. In charge is Tatyana Magazinnik, 53, pianist, émigré from Uzbekistan and a librarian since 1996, like her husband, David.

How she arranged the perfect name: It’s my husband’s name. It sounds like “magazine,” but in Russian it means “store.” Maybe somebody wanted me to be a librarian.

Other parallels to “The Music Man”: I graduated from conservatory and was teaching piano. I performed sometimes until my daughter was born. My husband was a professor of piano in the Tashkent conservatory.

Transplantation: When perestroika started, the future of our child was not there. We came as refugees in 1993. My husband had a sister here. She invited us. When we came to the country, we were looking for information. We came to the library.

Learning the language: My daughter didn’t know English well; I didn’t know English. I was trying to teach her myself. The library was my life at the time. We took out children’s books to hear that language. We learned 30 words a day. We memorized them, put them on the wall. The next day, another 30 words. After half a year she didn’t need English as a second language anymore. I learned with her. She just graduated from Vassar, Phi Beta Kappa. The library was everything for us. We were in the library every day, me and my husband.

The making of a librarian (couple): We went to Pratt for library science. It took me two and a half years, my husband two years — well, he didn’t sit with the child. I graduated in 1996, and in August I got the job at the library in Lefrak City. In ’99 I became manager of a small branch, in Maspeth. I loved Maspeth. I still have customers that still send me cards at Christmastime.

Biggest relief: Before I got this position, people told me all those homeless people will come. I was starting to prepare myself so I’d be ready for something disastrous. But fortunately I don’t see that many problems. During the day they just sit there and read the newspaper.

What she does, exactly: I make out a lot of reports, time sheets, assignments to staff. Also work with customers. I’m still a librarian. My office is in the children’s room. I call myself librarian. I like it. I can go to 641.5 and get you a cookbook.

Proudest moments: At Maspeth, there was a lady with no job. I would give her books and talked to her, and after two months she said she got a job and brought me flowers. So touching. I had a kid whose first book was a graphic novel. He started to read every book. He became a writer. I had a Russian customer who didn’t speak the language. She took an E.S.L. program in the library. You don’t even pay for it. She went through two programs, spring and fall. After that she got a job in Tiffany’s and then became a secretary.

What a librarian hates: People who don’t return books. I call them book-keepers.

How she keeps fit: I run four miles every day. I run my stairs at work. It’s a free exercise machine.
From: NYTimes