Nature+of+Work

= Nature of Work =



I feel that I was able to experience many different aspects of library service to children throughout my internship. I staffed the desk and provided reference services to children and their caregivers. I assisted with reader's advisory, which entailed helping patrons find new reading material based on things they'd previously read and enjoyed. I observed and participated in collection development and maintenance procedures, and even rolled up my sleeves and helped with shelving, straightening, and cleaning the shelves.

My biggest project, though, was running the new drop-in program, "7, 8, Create!" Before I arrived, the children's librarians felt there was a need for a program aimed at early elementary school kids. There were several baby and toddler programs, and book discussion clubs for older kids. However, there wasn't a dedicated, regular activity scheduled for for students in Kindergarten through third grade. I really appreciated the sense of autonomy that I had in designing the program, as the librarians really empowered me to make it into what I though would work best for both the children and myself. I approached my first few programs by locating what I thought was a great book or idea to share, and then looking at online and print resources to find crafts that would supplement the reading nicely. Although the main focus of the program was to be hands-on, craft activities, I knew that I wanted to include a literacy component as well, as that is what I am most passionate about, and part of what I believe to be our biggest responsibilities as children's librarians.

As I got to know the children who became regular attendants, I was able to tap into their interests and then plan sessions accordingly. I was continuously amazed at the level of energy and creativity that the kids brought to the activities, as they often took the crafts to places that I hadn't even anticipated. For example, when our session focused on map-making, I offered several suggestions of the kinds of maps that they could create - maps of their rooms, their schools, their neighborhoods, or totally made-up places that they invented. "What about treasure maps?" one girl asked, to which I replied "Of course! Treasure maps!" It was so inspiring to be able to interact with children in a stress-free setting, where they were free to work at their own pace and produce a creation that was meaningful to them.

Attached are some sample lesson outlines for the "7, 8, Create!" programs.