4 Inspirational Librarians to Know This National Library Workers Day
> Blog > 4 Inspirational Librarians to Know This National Library Workers Day It’s National Library Workers Day, and we’re honoring our library friends! Thank you, library workers, for the important roles you play in our communities. We celebrate you today and every day.
Read about four extraordinary library workers who inspire us.
Imagine A School Without A Library
I want all kids to experience the magic of libraries. I want them to build log cabins out of Popsicle sticks and start their own Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Clubs and save the world ala Judy Moody. I want them to grow up to become readers and writers, artists, thinkers, inventors.
But for this to happen, we have to connect kids with books. We have to change lives with books.
A Library Full of Books & Happiness
“Will they still be here tomorrow?” students often ask Morgan VanClief, the librarian at P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester, MA.
They’re asking about the brand new books that Morgan has been able to bring to the school’s library through generous grants and access to the First Book Marketplace. Many of her students simply aren’t used to having resources available to them on a consistent basis, so they get nervous that the fun and exciting books they see today might not be there tomorrow.
“I think it helps show them that they do deserve to have these resources at school, just like any other kid,” Morgan says.
In just two years as the school’s librarian, Morgan has turned the library into a vibrant and engaging place where students can explore their interests — but it hasn’t always been that way.
“It was literally just an empty room,” Morgan says of the library, “now we have shelves full of books, computers, and even a little theatre area.”
How One Book Got the 2nd Grade Hooked
Getting kids excited about reading can be challenging, especially if their access to high-quality books is limited. As a librarian, Heather knows that a single library copy of a book only goes so far when it needs to be shared among an entire grade.
“I’ve never had an experience like this where you know for sure that everyone has at least one of the books and has access to it,” says Heather, “it kind of leveled the playing field.”
How One Librarian Uses Food to Keep Kids Learning
“I always tell our kids that they are like cars, motorcycles or trucks,” says Theresa Mai, a librarian in Loveland, Colorado. “We talk about their parents getting fuel for their car – how it can’t run without the right fuel. Their bodies are the same way. Food is their fuel and we have to keep them going so they can learn.”
Theresa Mai provides books, games, activities, and all kinds of resources from the First Book Marketplace for the students at her school. But without food, the kids don’t consume the basic calories they need to benefit from the resources she supplies.
If you are a library worker who serves kids in need, sign up to be a First Book member!