Youth's Perspective of a Workday in the Library

 by Amber Covington

Visiting Isenberg Elementary School was a great pleasure last week. Rowan Public Library accepted the invitation to share a glimpse of the life of a librarian to eager second graders. The students were all familiar with the main activities within the library, such as checking out books and making sure they are properly arranged on the shelves, but many were unsure of the many things that happen while they are not present.

At Rowan Public Library we offer storytime for children of all ages, art classes, and special topic programs throughout the year. While speaking with students to learn more about their visits to the library, they expressed their gratitude and interests in the Summer Reading performances, attending storytime with family members, and playing with the computers or toys in the children’s area of the library. It seems that the old traditional library stereotype sticks within children’s minds, until their eyes are opened to notice all the small things that have happened around them or partaken in.

As students shared their stories of visiting the library and the many things they can do at the library, which coming from this is centered in playing on the computer, I explained the various jobs that my fellow coworkers and I complete each day. Explaining to the students that each person working in the library does not check out books was quite mind boggling to them and showed that our public persona of being bookkeepers needs a little bit of assistance in increasing our awareness within our community and expanding our mission to align with the needs of our community. Inevitably, speaking about current technology and the various ways we use it at the library lead to a huge discussion of social media. The teachers were apprehensive in letting the students discuss their skills and usage with various applications, but I ensured the teachers that part of my job duties is to ensure our library has a digital presence and it is important to have people on staff that are skilled in working with social media.

Overall it is important to express during a career day to students the importance of education and completing life milestones that will help them to reach any goal they set out to reach. Following through with educating yourself will ensure that you will ultimately reach the goal of becoming a doctor, a business owner, or professional baker. The library is a great place to start educating yourself with knowledge of topics you're passionate about, planning life goals, and preparing for your future. The library strives  to connect people to information that they seek. Whether that’s a child needing a Dr. Seuss book, a professional needing help with researching a complex issue, or just wanting to find that perfect recipe, the library is here to help. Stop by and see us.