I finished my internship. The librarians all signed a card for me and gave me a gift bag. It was a really bittersweet day. I learned so much my this experience, and I’m glad I decided to leave my comfort zone and do it. I really appreciate everything each of the staff members taught me, and I feel ready to be a librarian myself.

This week I really enjoyed the Tiny to Two program. There were some very young babies who attended. Watching them bounce and shake to the songs was so adorable. The story time this week was enjoyable as well. The theme was clothing, so the books all had to do with clothes. The program ran a little long, so Kim decided not to read the last book. I helped with the craft this week. I picked it out and made all the papers. The craft was little, yarn-tied journals for the kids to document their summer in. There were some design flaws that I made that really stressed me out for a moment, but the program ran smoothly thanks to Kim, of course. I feel lucky she let me have the opportunity to try something new.

This week was interesting. I knew libraries did weeding projects, but I didn’t know they literally weeded gardens. My supervisor had me weed the outside area for about an hour. That was something I didn’t expect about this internship. The rest of the week was fairly normal. I sat in on the Tiny to Two baby program. It was especially adorable this week. Storytime for preschoolers was fun. They were very energetic and had a hard time paying attention to the stories. Kim, the children’s librarian, handled this by just continuing her presentation.

This week was very different. Due to an interview and traveling, I had to miss Monday and Tuesday of my internship. I was very sad to miss Tuesday because that’s when the Tiny to Two program takes place. This program is for little children to sing and have a good time with their caregiver as well as hear a story from the librarian, Kim. So, I missed that, unfortunately. However, I did make it to my Thursday shift where I got to watch Storytime. There wasn’t much of a crowd, but the kids were still immersed and actively listening. I didn’t notice any behavioral issues; they all seemed really interesting and ready to hear some stories. I love watching Kim do storytime because she is so good at it. For example, she changes her voice for different characters speaking. I always notice different things that I could do to make my storytimes more engaging. Although this week was cut short, I still learned.

This week there weren’t any programs to shadow or participate in because it was the librarians’ week off of programming. Instead, I shadowed the desk for a time and did some other tasks. I laminated some papers, made photo copies, and basically did anything the librarians needed. I was happy to help, but I definitely like sitting in on programming more than doing office tasks. Another week on my belt!

This week of my internship was filled with mostly small tasks that I was asked to do to help the librarians manage their time better. Some of it included cutting fabric, laminating papers, and cleaning art supplies. This type of work isn’t what I imagined I would be doing at the internship, but I appreciate that I’m doing it since this is what librarians actually have to do. I also sat in on a story time, and I love watching the kids’ reactions. They are so vocal and say the most interesting things about the stories. It’s surprisingly very easy to have conversations with them, and I love spending time with them.

This week was full of new experiences and tasks. As mentioned in my previous post, I performed a preschool story time. Other than that I did a few tasks that were necessary but not exactly fun. For one, I washed Legos in the break room sink for about a half hour or so. It was actually strangely satisfying. Other than that, I cleaned out a cabinet so the librarians could take a good look at the contents. My back was hurting this week, so I kept feeling the need to sit down. I’m still having that issue, so I hope next week goes better. Tomorrow, my hours are different so I can shadow a teen program. After my story time, I felt unsure if Children’s Librarianship was the way I wanted to go. So, I asked the branch manager Chris if I could visit the teen space during open hours. Tomorrow is when I’ll see the event and interact with the teens. I’m curious to see if I’ll like that better than little kids.

I did my story time this week. About 45 people attended which is a big crowd for Thursday story time. The theme I went with was Bugs, so all my stories and rhymes had to do with insects. I threw in a nonfiction book as well which I think worked well. Overall, I think my performance was fine. It wasn’t perfect, but it was my first time so of course it wouldn’t be. The librarian I work with gave me some feedback which I found helpful. Find better transitions between story and rhyme, and also try to keep your feet to the audience so they can all see the book. That was a struggle I had during the story time. There were so many kids there that I wasn’t sure how to show them the illustrations at once. I tried to move the book so everyone could see. I don’t know if keeping my feet forward would help because then the kids on the sides wouldn’t be able to see. I guess I just have to keep practicing. I’m very grateful I was allowed to do a story time and see how it feels. Afterword, I felt so, so tired. I definitely needed a break. Overall, I think my story time went well, and I’m looking forward to doing even better next time.

This past week has been partly spent in preparing to give a story time of my own. I got past the first round of a job interview, and they want me to come back in and do a story time. Kim, the children’s librarian of Ellettsville, offered to let me try it out on her audience first. I really appreciate the opportunity because she can give me helpful feedback before I go to the official interview. However, I’m pretty nervous. I didn’t realize before this internship that a huge part of being a children’s librarian is performing. That is really hard for me. Remembering everything, having the right energy, interacting with the audience, and speaking loud enough are all things I have to keep in mind. I’m still planning my story time, but the theme is bugs. Hopefully to goes well!

My internship has been amazing so far. I’m placed at Ellettsville, and the small staff is exactly the type of size I envisioned for my career. Everyone is so friendly and encouraging, so I really appreciate that. Today I helped at preschool story time. It was my first time doing something more than simple movements and following along with the librarian (Kim Baker). I didn’t do too well because I let my nerves get the best of me. Kim said it was fine but I should speak louder–the feedback I always seem to get. It’s been really great getting to watch Kim work because she is a real professional and seems like an expert to me. Today she spoke to me about being flexible during programs and letting things flow the way they flow. I also have the final part of a job interview in March where I’ll be doing a story time to preschoolers, and Kim said she’d let me practice it at Ellettsville first. I really appreciate all the opportunities I’m getting to grow. Hopefully my skills will improve, and I’ll be ready for the outside world after this semester!