Each month, an ALSC member is profiled and we learn a little about their professional life and a bit about their not-so-serious side. Using just a few questions, we try to keep the profiles fun while highlighting the variety of members in our organization. So, without further ado, welcome to our ALSC profile, ten questions with ALSC member, Lorianna Giarrizzo.
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I am a children’s librarian for the Palo Alto City Library, at the Children’s Library branch. I work primarily with kids 5th grade and younger but have dabbled with programs and reference for teens and adults. I have been in this position for a little over a year, but I have been working in libraries on and off for the last 8 years.
2. Why did you join ALSC? Do you belong to any other ALA divisions or roundtables?
I joined ALSC because I wanted to get more involved with my professional peers, keep up to date on trends in youth services, and gain new ideas and experiences from all the resources ALSC has to offer. I am currently not a member of any other ALA divisions.
3. What’s your favorite thing about Fall?
I love to bake, and I have many pie-related plans for fall. Fall is also time for my favorite holiday, Halloween. It’s the only time of year I can buy housewares with my desired number of bats, spiders, and skeletons on them.
4. If you could be on a reality show, which one would it be?
My favorite reality shows are Project Runway, and RuPaul’s Drag Race, but seeing as I’m neither a fashion designer nor drag queen, I don’t think I could be on either of those. I’d rather be on a gameshow, I think I could excel at Family Feud.
5. What do you think children’s librarians will be doing ten years from now?
I don’t think storytime will ever go away, nor will readers advisory interviews. A lot of people have fond memories of coming to the library as children, so I think future generations will want these same library services for their own kids. I think children’s librarians will spend a lot more time outside of traditional library buildings in the future, doing much more outreach into the schools, businesses and the community. I believe lot of tools of the trade will likely change too, with more e-resources available and a variety of types of items for loan. I think the main goals of children’s librarians will stay the same
6. Have you ever played a practical joke on someone?
I’m not a big fan of pranks, but when I was in fifth grade I stuffed the fingers of my gloves with paper towels and crayons and offered to “shake hands” with classmates. When they grabbed my hand, I made the crayons snap so it seemed like they had broken my fingers. My teacher and classmates did not find this quite as hilarious as I thought they would.
7. Would you rather go to a 5 star restaurant or on a picnic?
5 star restaurant. The fancier and more unpronounceable the sauces, the better. I would like it if the menu also mentioned “mouthfeel”.
8. Are you a social media addict? What do you use daily… Twitter? Tumblr? Facebook? LinkedIn? Pinterest? Instagram? Flickr? Vine? Something else?
I’m not necessarily an addict, but I do like browsing Instagram daily (@lorianna_g). I also like browsing Pinterest for craft ideas, and I am just recently figuring out what Snapchat is.
9. What’s your favorite way of promoting services at your library to your customers?
I love doing outreach to schools and community events. It is so fun to run into customers outside of the library, especially when it’s the kids that come to my storytime! I also really enjoy being able to tell people who haven’t visited the library in years all the services we offer.
10. Would you rather watch trash TV at home or go to a play?
Go to a play. I love musicals especially, and if time and money permitted I would go all the time!
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Thanks, Lorianna! What a fun continuation to our monthly profile feature!
Do you know someone who would be a good candidate for our ALSC Monthly Profile? Are YOU brave enough to answer our ten questions? Send your name and email address to alscblog@gmail.com; we’ll see what we can do.