Summer is a really busy time for children's librarians but this week we were able to sneak in to visit the team at Duxbury Free Library for the next column in our Meet Your Librarian series. While we were there they were busy at work signing kids up for summer reading, teaching new crafts, and sharing all that the library has to offer with local families - and it's a lot! At Macaroni Kid we LOVE our local libraries. They provide a free place for families to connect, learn and play right within our community. They are warm, inviting, and full of life thanks largely to our fabulous children's librarians. So, without further ado here's a little more about three of the people who keep the children's department at one of our local libraries humming in their own words.
To learn more about the Duxbury Free Library visit their website HERE.
Want to meet other local children's librarians? Check out our South Shore Children's Librarians Guide HERE.
What inspired/encouraged you to become a librarian? Is there one specific moment when you knew this was what you wanted to do?
Lindsey: I took a symposium during my undergrad that followed the history of libraries from the Great Library of Alexandria to the foundation of the public library in the United States. The course really made me appreciate the value of a public library and I very much wanted to be a part of providing free access to information to anyone and everyone.
Marissa: The lightbulb moment for me was in college. In my final semester at Stonehill I had to use the library a TON, translating passages of Beowulf, finding primary source articles from the 1950s, etc. I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the fact that there was so much information consolidated all in one place and I could access any and all of it. I wanted to be part of that. When I graduated and realized I would need a Master's degree, I pursued that while working full-time in a public library, gaining amazing experience as I finished my education.
Jessica: After I graduated from Northeastern with my undergraduate degree, I had no idea what to do. I landed a part-time job as student grant coordinator with the Northeastern University's Department of Education, a local school, and the Dudley Public Library in Boston. We scheduled a visit from picture book author, Irene Smalls at the library and she told all these amazed 5-year-old faces that she had been rejected many times before becoming an author but she never gave up. I came out of that feeling like I could do amazing things and I wanted to make those moments happen more for children. I started inquiring about being a children's librarian after that meeting. I didn't realize the job could be so much fun.
How did your childhood experience with books or libraries affect becoming a librarian?
Lindsey: My parents strongly encouraged my reading and would often either read to me or share books with me so that we could discuss them. This led to my voracious appetite at my school library and a wonderful relationship with my school librarian who I was lucky to have through most of my childhood up through high school. She would save books for me that she thought I would like and would come to me for book recommendations for other students. I have nothing but fond memories of my library growing up.
Marissa: I always had my nose in a book as a child. I have an older sister who was very involved in everything, so I often had to go along to her events. Books were my way of passing the time. I was also not a particularly outdoorsy child, so I devoured all the available books in my house.
Jessica: I always had my eye in a book even when my mom took me out to eat and tried to talk to me as a kid. I was voted most likely to be a librarian when I graduated 8th grade but back then I didn't have too many nice experiences with librarians. I thought, "No way. I'm not mean and I don't want to sit around all day and read!" (Librarians know now that reading is probably one of the furthest things that we get to do on the clock beside during storytime!) My experience at the Dudley Public Library turned my attitude around.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Lindsey: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Marissa: Absolutely all the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary.
Jessica: I loved Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Funny enough, I never knew why I had such a huge pull to go to Australia when I was younger (I finally did get to go during my time at Northeastern). A year after my return from study abroad, I was reading Alexander to a preschool group during my volunteer time for America Reads and I started to laugh because when he was having a bad day he kept saying he was going to move to Australia. Maybe that stayed in my subconscious somewhere all that time. I also made my dad go to the bookstore every Sunday to purchase a new Goosebumps book by R.L. Stine in elementary school.
What is your favorite children's book, or series, now?
Lindsey: Hoo boy, that’s a tough question. I think they would be considered more YA than children’s but I adore His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and The Abhorsen Series by Garth Nix.
Marissa: One of my favorite books to read aloud is The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli. For middle graders, I would recommend The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I also read a lot of YA and agree with Jessica's recommendation of The Illuminae Files on audio. I loved We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, which is also YA.
Jessica: I keep recommending The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. I started reading them last summer and they are ALMOST as good as Harry Potter. They at least deserve a movie! If you like fantasy and adventure, check it out. I mostly read YA though. I love how far the books have come from when I was a teen. So if you were asking me for YA I would say The Illuminae Files on audio. It's like watching a great sci-fi movie with your ears.
Do you have a favorite children's author and why?
Lindsey: I really love Mo Willems. He is very funny and I have never failed to get a laugh out of a group of kids with one of his books.
Marissa: I love Beverly Cleary. She was a librarian, she's still alive and well at 102 years old, and I so connected with Ramona when I was a kid. I also like Neil Gaiman, who is a champion of libraries and librarians.
Jessica: I love funny picture books from Bob Shea, Marc Barnett, Jan Thomas or Mo Willems. They have really transformed the medium and they are always a good sell when I bring them to school visits.
What is your favorite program at the Duxbury Free Library?
Lindsey: I love our Summer Reading Program. It’s a crazy time of year for us but the kids are so enthusiastic about it that you can’t help but love it.
Marissa: I'm new to the DFL. I just started at the end of April, but so far I love Helping Hounds where kids can read to a dog. We had a similar program at my last library and I am a dog lover, so I love it when we can have dogs in the library. Reading to a dog can help instill reading confidence in kids who may not like reading aloud.
Jessica: I do a music storytime of sorts on Thursday mornings during the school year. I play my ukulele, we blow bubbles, parachute, and there's lots of dancing. It's a good time.
What is the one program you would love to start if you had the resources for it?
Marissa: I think it would be exceptional to do some sort of poetry performance/showcase. I don't know how it would all come together, but I think it could be amazing.
Jessica: We have 2 Ultimaker 2 3D printers that I know how to use through A LOT of trial and error. It would be great to have some patron experts that would be willing to teach design classes and have the time to delve deeper into the 3D printing mechanics.
Is there anything else we should know about you or the Duxbury Free Library?
Lindsey: I love helping reluctant readers. There is no greater joy than giving a kid, who does not like to read, a book and having them come back and ask for more. If you have a question or suggestion please, let us know! It is my favorite thing to help people find what they are looking for. You are not bothering us, you are not interrupting our work, YOU are why we are here and we want to help.
Marissa: I'm thrilled to be part of the DFL! Come by and visit us!
Jessica: My favorite conversations of the day come from interacting and meeting kids so don't be shy. We love talking about books, Paw Patrol, Pokemon and more!
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