My future professional plans are: I plan to stay in Madison and continue working at Madison Public Library as a circulation page and as a Bubbler Artist in the Neighborhood this summer (art programming with kids and families)! After the summer, I’m going to stay on as a page and continue looking out for youth services opportunities in the area.
My favorite project: Was the first project I did as an MLIS student, creating a children’s program from scratch in LIS 772–Library Services to Children & Young Adults. It was the first time I’d ever gotten to make my own idea come to life for a kids’ program. It made me even more sure that youth services librarianship was a good fit for me.
How my program helped me grow personally and professionally: One meaningful experience for me was the practicum this program requires. During my practicum at Madison Public Library, I was able to partner with some experienced, inspiring youth services librarians and see what it looks like when youth programs take a more organic shape—being flexible with your expectations is key!—and to work on a really cool, forward-thinking project regarding equity for youth patrons in the library. Both of these helped me grow professionally—just connecting with those librarians was impactful, but also seeing different styles of librarianship and the complex inner workings of public libraries made an impression on me. Personally, the experience showed me that I love working in youth services and that by becoming a YS librarian, I can support and amplify the youth voices we don’t hear often enough.