Librarians may have a lot in common with farmers. After reading the comments of the Nebraska Farm Bureau President, Keith Olsen (http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_0a5d86b0-e42e-11de-a18e-001cc4c03286.html ), I can see some similarities between our two professions:

1. We are both producing more with "fewer inputs" (in our case, budgets don't stretch to fit subscriptions and purchases, and reducing staff).
2. We must both tell our story "in a way that makes sense to the consumers of our production." (in our case, consumers equal any combination of citizens/faculty/staff/students/researchers/administration) And, in his words, "tell it with pride."
3. This quote fits us as well: “If we use too big of a hammer with too much force, we destroy relationships,” he said. “If we use too small of a hammer with too little persuasion behind it, we will appear timid and wishy-washy.”

Mr. Olsen urged the delegates present "to get out their toolboxes to protect their interests in a world that doesn’t understand production agriculture" - as we are urged as librarians to get our our toolboxes to spread the word about what we do to a world that doesn't understand all that it takes to deliver quality information resources and services.