With over 40 years of singing and entertaining kids and families, Jim Gill is just as energetic as ever. His humorous songwriting blended with interactive play was not only revolutionary for the genre, but has had staying power with librarians, educators, and caregivers for generations. I was able to catch up with Jim at Oak Creek Library last month, where he was leading a teaching workshop during the day for librarians, and a family concert in the neighboring park that evening.
Author: Peter Blenski
Why This Small Library Hired an Artist instead of a Librarian
With shrinking budgets and expanding roles, librarians everywhere have to continue to wearmany hats. Or maybe just one big hat with “Other Duties As Assigned” embroidered on it.With that reality, most librarians must do EVERYTHING, including their own marketing theirown programs. In comparison, larger metropolitan libraries with multiple branches have wholeteams dedicated to just that task. But Mukwonago Community Library, a smaller library in Mukwonago, Wisconsin with only 25 employees total, found a way to strike a balance between the two extremes.