Of course librarians place a value on themselves and their services, and they know that their commodity, information, is invaluable. It belongs to the world. Librarians above all know the importance of providing free access to information to prevent discrimination based on a patron's ability to pay. There is much more to being a librarian than checking books in and out and running a summer reading program. We are the guardians of intellectual freedom and the freedom of information.
Librarians are the keepers of civilization's ideas, history, accomplishments, thoughts and feelings.
Technology may aid us in some of our tasks. There will always be someone who wants to take away knowledge from those without power or education, and it is up to us librarians to ensure that that doesn't happen. We must be educated to provide the philosophical defenses of the freedoms to read, to think, to speak, to learn and to listen. We can't learn it all during a one-day workshop on book repairs. We can't learn it all at graduate school either, but there is more time in grad school for thought and discussion and the formulation of beliefs.