As a librarian, I have a responsibility to all of our materials. We prioritize our collection development policy, underrepresented voices in the history of physics, and the needs of our researchers when considering collection development (choosing which books to receive as donations or to buy). Sometimes, I have to admit that those needs might also be fairly remote from my own sphere of knowledge. However, as any of my colleagues will tell you, information professionals tend to gain knowledge and interest in whatever is in our collections. One thing I love about my job is that it exposes me to worlds of information that I would never have encountered otherwise. As such, I’ve gained appreciation for areas of physics and history that I had not paid much thought to before starting my job at NBLA. Even though I think it would be awesome, it is indeed a good thing that all libraries are not filled with things that I know and care about (though perhaps one day I will go on to open a pinniped/flute/music/baking/Norwegian/children’s illustration/mushrooms/fashion library, and I think that might pretty awesome).
This being said, if someone were to ask my opinion about subject areas within our collections, I do have a favorite branch of physics: acoustics. As a musician, it’s the area of physics that I feel makes the most sense, the area that I can see practical applications for in my own life, and the area where I might encounter ideas and meet people who are also obsessed with music and sounds. Whenever I get to interact with materials in our collections that focus on acoustics, I always get excited.