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, Sarah West.
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I am the Children’s Client Service Specialist at Pickering Public Library in Pickering, Ontario. A Client Service Specialist is responsible for an area of service for the four branches in Pickering’s Library system. So for me as the Children’s Client Service Specialist I am responsible for all things children’s (birth to age 12)…collections, programs, outreach, training staff on children’s related services etc. I have eight amazing children’s staff that I work with to develop services for our community. I graduated from Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia with my MLIS in 2005. I spent a year trying to find a job home in NS and ended up applying to Pickering in May 2006. I have now been working here for eight years as of the end of May!
2. Why did you join ALSC? Do you belong to any other ALA divisions or roundtables?
I joined ALSC because it has so many wonderful things to offer its members. I have been a dedicated follower of the ALSC blog for years now. I get great ideas from it and really enjoy hearing about what others are doing. I do not belong to any other ALA groups but I do belong to OLA which is the Ontario Library Association. I am involved in a few OLA committees and really enjoy them.
3. What motivates you?
My library community. I love working with kids and the people who care for them: teachers, parents, daycare workers etc. Helping them find the right book, helping them learn new things and seeing them grow from storytime kids to teens is amazing! I am so proud to be a part of that. They are what motivates me to do my best and to reach outside of my comfort zone.
4. Cats or Dogs?
Cats! A couple years ago as I left work at 9 pm on a Wednesday night I found a lost kitty outside my library. It was December and just starting to get cold. The poor thing was all skin and bones. I have been smitten ever since.
5. How do you keep up with library news?
Besides reading SLJ, Canadian Children’s Booknews, LibrarySparks and occasionally YALSA I have some blogs I follow: ALSC, the Annoyed Librarian, the Librarian in Black, and Stephen’s Lighthouse. I follow CLA, OLA and a number of libraries Canadian libraries on twitter. I am on the email listserv for Pubyac which is a great resource for children’s staff. And last year I started a children’s services Facebook group, where children’s staff can share ideas and resources.
6. What do you collect?
Puppets! I use puppets in my weekly storytime and I do puppet shows a few times a year. I am a bit of a puppet fiend actually! I have handmade (mostly by my Mom) as well as store bought. I think my favourite brand is Folkmanis. I am not sure how many puppets I have…likely over 30.
7. Who is your role model? Why?
My parents. Corny right? But it is true. My parents are always reading. I don’t think I have ever known them not to have a book on the go. We were constantly at my local library branches (the Woodlawn and Alderney Gate Branches in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) to attend programs (Summer Reading Club in particular!), pick out books etc. My Dad worked shift work at a bottled water company and often worked late hours but he always had time to tell me stories. He would base the stories he told me on whatever fantasy or sci-fi book he was currently reading. His love of a good story and of sharing that is something I try and emulate when talking to kids about books. Growing up, my Mom was my leader all through Brownies/Girl Guides/Pathfinders/Senior Branches. Her creativity and enthusiasm for working with kids has really influenced me. I still call her and ask her opinion when I am developing a new program.
8. Favorite part of being a Children’s Librarian?
This is a very hard question because I love all parts of my job but I think being able to plan and do Summer Reading Club has to be my favourite!!! My experiences as a kid attending Summer Reading Club at my local library in Dartmouth, NS is why I became a Children’s Librarian. I love listening to the kids tell me about what they have been reading and showing me a picture of their favourite part of the book. I love organizing all the programs and events that we run in the summer. I love finding and ordering books to fit the theme and then seeing the displays of them quickly empty. Really I just love summer reading club!
9. Which reality TV show would you most like to be on?
I adored shows like Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, and the Muppets growing up. So I would totally want to be on Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge! It is amazing how realistic the creature designers can make their puppets! Plus I am big into crafty stuff. We are doing these weekly crafternoons this summer at my library which I am totally excited about, particularly the week we do puppets.
10. What do you think libraries will look like fifty years from now?
Libraries have been around since ancient times. They have evolved and changed with the times because of community input. I am not sure what libraries will actually look like ten years from now let alone in fifty but I am confident that they will be around and that children’s librarians will still be needed. I think that libraries will continue to be places for parents/caregivers and children to go to for programs, information, and reading materials (no matter what format that evolves into). Children’s librarians will be needed to discover and implement library services that our communities need and want. No matter how automated and technology focused the world becomes people still need to go out and interact with other people. It is the way humans work, we crave places to socialize with others. As long as we continue to give our community a voice in what services we provide we will continue to stay relevant. Also I am sure in fifty years there will be robots…preferably with the ability to clean up after programs. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a robot that could actually fully clean up after a craft that involved glitter?
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Thanks, Sarah! 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.