Hello Everyone! During our last meeting, we shared information about our high school experiences with partners and the larger group. Often times, our early experiences in life shape the decisions we make in the future (such as career choice).
Write a post about why you have chosen to work in libraries, the experiences you have had in the library you work at now, and any additional information on how your earlier life experiences continue inform your work serving the public (particularly teens). Use this post as a way to introduce yourself to the group. I look forward to hearing from everyone! : )
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8 comments:
I guess I just sort of fell into library work. When I graduated college in '05 I had a B.A. in English, but didn't really know what I wanted to do with it. I worked at a bookstore for a little over a year, but the money was bad, so I decided to apply for a job here at KO. I was lucky enough to start as a Circ person here at KO working 20 hours a week, and was quickly promoted. I have worked at KO ever since.
Here at KO, I have had the good fortune of working with many different groups of people. I have taught computer classes, led storytimes for families and babies, hosted children's programs, and am now in charge of the teen volunteers at KO, as well as the teen programming. Working with teens has been very fullfilling thus far, especially when I have teens coming into to ask for book suggestions, come to the programs, or just hang out and chat.
I love working with the 11-25 age group. During college, I did an internship and volunteered with the middle school and high school youth groups at my church. The interactions I have had with people this age have always taught me something, or shown me something new about myself. Teens are great because they are old enough to have a mature, thoughtful conversation with you, but young enough to be open and honest. They don't mince words, but they always seem to have a sense of empathy about them. I hope that whatever job I'm doing, now or in the future, allows me interactions with the 11-25 age group.
Actually, for a long time, I wanted to be a teacher. However, when I got to college and took an Intro to Education class, I realized that wasn't the right fit for me. I ended up graduating in college (College of Wooster class of 2006! Go Scots!) with a BA in English.
After college, I was in a one year volunteer program, where I worked at a soup kitchen. I coordinated volunteers there once a week- usually about 25 people of all different ages!
After the volunteer program ended, I applied to work at Koelbel library. I started as an MH, but was fortunate enough to be promoted to a PSS within a few months! I absolutely LOVE being a PSS! I especially love recommending books, and hearing what our patrons love to read.
As for working with pre-teens and teens in the past, in both high school and college, I was in volunteer organizations. Part of what I did was tutor elementary school students. I really loved doing that.
Currently, I volunteer with the middle school youth group at my church. Middle school kids are my favorite age to work with. I feel like I can really relate to them.
I feel like I've come full circle, because I went to Castlewood and Koelbel when I was younger. When I was in middle school, I would come home with a stack of books to read! Now I'm the one recommending books at Koelbel library! I love working at Koelbel! I hope that I can inspire and encourage pre-teens and teens to read!
I had my whole life planned out early on. I was going to be a Kindergarten teacher and that was that. After teaching for 4 years, I had to figure out something else to do and get a graduate degree. I literally fell upon LIS and never looked backed. I knew I had to be a librarian. When in school, I had the most amazing Young Adult Lit and Service professor. I realized that teens are truly the forgotten patrons in our libraries.
Currently I am at KO doing ALD Answers, but I also work at Castle Rock as part time librarian doing children and teen services. I think it will be interesting for me to be able to look at the differences and similarties in our prgramming and share what they are doing for their teens. We have the coolest teen area in teh Denver Metro area, if I do say so myself.
I have always loved children of all ages. Raising my two boys brought me in the library attending storytimes and checking out books to read to them. I worked as a sub for a few years here at our Davies library and became familiar with how a library works. As my boys became older I took on the job as a volunteer youth group leader for our local church. This was valuable experience along with being very rewarding. When a position opened up at the library I applied and got the job. Taking over the duties of the youth area I have learned so much. I have drawn upon my experiences with children from toddlers to teens to help me connect with the youth who use our library. I have been here 9 years and have had children start out with storytimes and now are attending our teen programs. I love working with the youth, talking with them and learning from them. My dream when I was young was to become a teacher. I believe that I have surpassed that by working here at the library. The library has the capability of touching the lives of many youth who pass through these doors and I am extremely privileged to be a small part of that.
In my previous lives, I've been an elementary & preschool teacher, a professional volunteer K-12, and I began my library career as a page at CW. I moved from page to circ assistant to what's now called Youth AST. I've worked with teens for over 12 years, but I've also conducted storytimes. It's a real pleasure watching the babies and toddlers I had in storytime grow up to be teens, but the greatest joy is in watching the 6th graders I began with become volunteers, then college students, and blossom in grad school or wonderful careers. And when those 20-somethings come back to see you at the library, it is fabulous beyond words. Where else (besides teaching) do you get the privilege of touching someone's life?
Working in a library seemed so natural for me. After college, with an oh so usable degree in Archaeology, I had to decide what I was going to do with my life.
I tossed around several ideas that all had one thing in common: books. I looooove reading, and so I thought I should try the library.
I started as a page at SG and stumbled upon an opening at Outreach Services. In my mind, I hit the ALD jackpot.
So now I love books and I love OS. My work is a little unique in that I get the chance to develop great relationships with almost all of my patrons. A lot of my satisfaction comes from knowing that I am helping underserved populations, and that the bookmobile is a really bright spot in people's days.
My favorite part in working with children and teens is seeing them grow into really amazing young adults. Most of them have experienced more than their fair share of obstacles and setbacks, and I am always so impressed with their unflagging positivity and perseverance.
My work at Outreach Services also helped to reveal my true passion: helping people make their own lives better. While my time at ALD is limited (I'll be in an internship for my master's in Counseling Psychology next summer), I take every chance I get to interact with, encourage, and learn from the teens I serve on the bookmobile.
I think I knew in high school that I wanted to be a librarian. My h.s. librarian, Miss French, was sooo cool. She had fake, but great, dark red hair and sort of lavendar square eyeglass frames and nice lipstick. Since I went to a pretty strict co-ed Catholic school, the library was one of the few places we girls could legitimately overlap with the guys, under the watchful, indulgent eye of Miss French. I went to DU, and they were enlightened enough to let me take a graduate level course or two in library sciece when I was a college senior. It was an easy choice from there. I worked for BCR "back in the day," then set up private and government libraries all around Denver with Information Management Specialists (run by 2 of the smartest women I ever met). We set up Colorado's Solar Research Institute library before folks knew solar was more than a way to get tan! Then onward to Littleton Public Schools, St. Mary's Academy and ALD. Working with the teens is the best, most fulfilling work of my career I am lucky to say. They don't like to be talked down to, but of course, I am a teen at heart, so I think I relate to those push/pull years and the kids know it. I thought I'd like this career because I'd get "paid to read books," but it's been a lot more than that!
When we moved back to Colorado four years ago, my husband worked very close to the Smoky Hill library. Within a month he brought home a job application and handed it to me, saying, "Here. You love to read, get a job at the library." So I did. I still love to read, and I love my job at Castlewood, but I don't do both at the same time very often, or even ever, which of course you all already know about, since you all work at the library too. My favorite part of my job is talking about books with patrons; second-favorite is helping them get what they want. I like serving people in general, and since I consider that teens are people I have no problem serving them.
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