Tuesday, 2/8

• Entry #1
• # of hrs: 4
• Total # of hrs: 4

My first day as an intern at the Rochambeau community library began with a promising project. Judanne introduced me to one of the many Providence public school teachers that regularly come into the Children's room. She was looking for a set of books for her kindergarden class that dealt with the profession of dentistry. I suggested the idea of making a booklist for each subject inquiry that the library receives from visiting school teachers. Judanne mentioned that many of the teachers ask for books about the same subject each year. She was pleased that I thought of a great idea!
I intend on working on a few book lists on Friday afternoon. As for today, I shelved for the majority of the day, which allowed me to become familiar with the collection and the vast variety of authors that are available to choose from. Shelving made me realize how many books are available for children. Certainly, the library doesn't own everything; it's unbelievable how many books there are to choose from. In comparison with the library's children's collection, it's clear that the young adult fiction and graphic novel area is not as large, which makes me ponder: why is it that children have a much larger collection in the library than young adults? Is the expectation for children to read greater than it is for young adults? Why?
The library divides its children's collection up in several, different ways. For example, there is a section reserved for books that are meant for children learning to read, a section for books that are fiction, a section for books that are part of a large series, and so on. I really liked that there was a section for parents, labeled "parenting", where the books were in no particular alphabetical order, or otherwise categorized. This is an example where the library has implemented a bookstore model in one specific section of the library's collection. I understand that there has been wide controversy surrounding the public library model vs. the bookstore model, but I like that the Rochambeau library has used the model for a rational and logical reason. Parenting books are placed in the children's room because a) parents who bring their children find it much easier to supervise their children in the children's room of a library since their children can be occupied with a book while they are browsing and b) it is a logical place to look for a book for parents -- in a room where the children are!
The social climate at the library was very familiar and welcoming. I immediately felt at ease with Judanne, Children's Librarian, and Tom, the regional library manager. Judanne welcomed my suggestions pertaining to circulating pieces of the reference collection and creating subject booklists for children's school classes. With the knowledge that I've had plenty of experience in public librarianship, they both treated me as a colleague, rather than a student intern, and trusted my judgement when it came to collection maintenance and management. I'm looking forward to working with them on developing new programming and outreach strategies.