Today our branch manager mentioned that last month our juvenile circulation was up by 40%. She said she believed this was because a second children’s librarian and I have been added to the staff. When the library only had one person in the children’s department, she naturally wasn’t able to keep the children’s desk manned. Now we have someone sitting among the children’s books almost all the time.
It felt good to be told that my presence has made a difference. Sometimes I sit back there and feel like I’m only getting the opportunity to smile at babies, hear clever children read, and start the computer for kids. Fun for me, but is it helping anyone?
But yesterday I got to help a Dad find summer reading books for his first grader. I got to find more train books for our little friend Miles. And I even got to help my friend Darlene’s adorable children find books to check out.
(I know my former boss will wonder if the stats are up simply because I use that library now. However, I’ve been checking out more YA books than Juvenile ones, honest!)
And really, even if I don’t hand them a book, surely it’s a good thing to win the heart of a toddler, as I got the chance to do today, simply by smiling at him. The mother was one of our many, many immigrant patrons, and I think she felt a little more welcome when I obviously thought her son was adorable.
I do love libraries. You get to meet parents who care about their kids enough to read to them. You get to share amazing books with amazing kids. It was nice to be reminded today how privileged I am to work at a library. Also nice to hear that my having fun at the library might even be making a difference!
Sondy, wish I could come visit you there. You sound like a great children’s librarian! Do you ever get to read aloud to the kids?
Hi Laurie! Just yesterday, I got to do Story Time. And I get to reprise my performance tomorrow! My friend Darlene brought her kids, Ryan and Michelle, to Story Time, so I got to read to them, and other sweet kids, too!
We do take turns between the 3 of us in the children’s department–so I get to read periodically, but not so frequently that I get tired of it.
I knew I liked that part of the job.–I’d just been wondering if the other part, sitting in the back of the library in the children’s section–was also valuable.
I also get to help lead Babygarten, which I’m crazy about. It’s for 0 to 18-month-olds and a caregiver. We do rhymes & songs with motions, read a board book, and then have free play time. It’s a whole lot of fun. I’m still a baby lover. As a big sister of sooooo many babies, I don’t think it ever quite gets out of your system.