Day 1 At Horne Street Elementary Library (Fieldwork)

The advantage of making sure you are working at the same school that your niece and nephew are attending is that on your first day, you get to see them and then all worries or nervousness just melt away.  This was the start of my day.  I had forgotten to pack a lunch, and halfway to school the gas light in my car went off, which I ignored in favor of being on time.  But as I walked over to the front doors which were crowded with kids and parents, I saw two familiar faces ride over on their little skooters and greet me with a smile.  They had not known I was coming (I left it as a surprise) but they adapted quick and were excited that I would be working in their library for the next few weeks.  This gave me confidence.

The librarian I was to work with, Ms. Smart, was indeed a fantastic.  I was able to observe her teaching 4 classes, each of which were the same lesson (the beginning of the year is as such) and she showed me around the library and the school and even bought me lunch.  For most of the day I helped kids check books out (the 4th and 5th graders knew how to do it themselves but sometimes needed help) and checked books back in.  She also showed me her library budget and explained to me some helpful tips in balancing buying books, technology, and repairing things within the library.  She has also shared with me many great resources for browsing popular books and replenishing the collection. 

I have several projects I get to do while I am here.  I am to weed through the books on space and books on dinosaurs and check whether they are outdated or not (such as books stating Pluto is still a planet).  Simultaneously I get to look at books to replace them and possibly even purchase them.  I will also be able to give a few book talks.

What I'm getting here is some much needed practical librarian experience as well as experience working with kids directly.  I don't know why I've been so nervous about it, but thus far the kids have been wonderful and I've had no problem communicating with them, even the shy ones.  I look forward to the next few weeks.  It's going to be fun!