As an outreach librarian, my role within the community is to spread the word about library resources, engage with kids and their families, and urge them to visit our libraries. Once a month I spend a day at a branch to keep up my skills and help out when staffing is low. This weekend, I had the pleasure of working a shift and interacting with a variety of people…
- A five-year who got his first library card and took pride in printing his name on the back.
- A family, recently moved from Mexico, who were delighted to hear about all of the (free) services for both adults and kids.
- A long-time patron who enthusiastically educated another about the interlibrary loan process while in line at the accounts desk.
- New parents who didn’t realize that our storytime audiences included babies.
- Visitors to the area who stopped in to ask directions, and ended up lingering and getting library cards.
- A teen, picking up his summer reading book (with three days to spare before the report was due), admitting his procrastination (“It is going to be a LONG weekend…!”).
- Waiving a fine for an elderly man who had broken his hip, spent weeks in the hospital, yet was concerned about not returning his books on time.
With so much of my work life outside of library walls, it was humbling to experience the energy and diversity of the public library on a busy Saturday. It made me appreciate the users we have already cultivated and reignited my passion for communicating the value of the library to many more.
*********************************************************************
Today’s blogger is Robyn Lupa, writing on behalf of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation committee.