childhood ambition: I wanted to be an elementary school teacher.
first job: My first ever job was as a summer camp counselor at a 4-H camp, where I helped teach classes like Arts and Crafts or Hiking. Campers stayed from Sunday to Saturday in cabins with their counselors. My first library job was in the Simmons College library as a Special Projects Assistant and Reference Desk Assistant to the Library Collection. My first “real job”, the one that we go to school for and call a career, is the one I have now as a elementary school librarian at Lyons Elementary School, which is kindergarten through sixth grades.
proudest moment: My proudest moment was walking across the stage to receive my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science.
biggest challenge: My biggest challenge is promoting the library in ways that will encourage teachers to collaborate with me on projects. So far, I’ve gotten many teachers to use the library as a resource, including videos and books, as well as interlibrary loans.
inspiration: My inspiration comes from an epiphany moment I had in Allen Smith’s Reference course, which was that it’s easy to search once I know how. My goal is to teach all of my students more efficient ways to find information, whether it is online or in print, though I teach both.
currently reading: I absolutely love Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series, which I’ve already read over four times, but can’t seem to help myself. It’s just as delightful the fifth time around as it was the first.
most surprising thing about being a librarian: I’m always surprised by the types of reference questions I’m asked (I was once asked, “Do sweat bees exist?”), as well as when a student makes a connection that enables him/her to find information in a creative, logical way.
I love being a librarian because: There is nothing like the feeling of knowing I’ve helped someone find an answer to a question they had to have the answer to, especially personal questions because the recipient is not asking for an extrinsic reason. It’s especially satisfying when I had to look for a longer period of time, having to be creative in order to find new resources and new ways of searching in order to find the answer at all.