Our Library Specialists are at the core of what we do. Once the library is built, it is the programs and people inside that truly make it a resource as they guide children toward a love of books and a lifelong journey of learning. As R. David Lankes said, “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.” And Hannah, our Las Vegas Library Specialist, keeps community at the heart of everything she does. She’s been with us two years and we wanted to shine a little light on her important work.
Hannah has had a deep impact on the children and families that come through her library, so we’re sharing some of those fun and special moments with all of you.
Here are some of Hannah’s favorite moments from her last two years, in her own words:
It’s always really fun to celebrate the changing of seasons with the students at my schools. For example at two of my sites, we’ve had “Fall in Love with Reading” events to celebrate fall. For a parent event at Variety last year, I created a big, fake fireplace so families could “cuddle up with a good book.” If it hasn’t become clear, I love a good pun. After the event, I kept the fireplace in the library until winter ended. Sometimes during their library session, children would say they were cold. My response would be to pull the fireplace closer and let them carefully warm their hands. With warnings to be careful and not burn themselves, they would typically touch the tissue paper and, all smiles, pretend to have burned themselves. I love kids’ imaginations and how they’ll play along with almost anything!
Not only do my students say the cutest things, but they make the silliest faces! Last year, I laughed way too hard at our impromptu “David Face” contest. Prior to going to the library that day, I hadn’t planned on having any contests. But when I told kids to make a face that looks like David from the series by David Shannon, it was too funny for their classmates and teachers not to see. We decided to have a contest where Books for Kids staff would decide which children made the best “David Face” and give them a free book. All participants received a sticker. With fun activities like this, I hope to reinforce that books aren’t just serious, they’re fun!
Marlowe, Hannah, and the rest of the class enjoying The Black Book Of Colors.
Each year I have some returning students and meet lots of new children that I haven’t worked with before. This year, one of my new students is Marlowe*. Being blind, we wanted to make sure Marlowe still felt represented in the library. The moment I asked Lisa about braille books, she started looking for books we could add to our collection. I wouldn’t be able to do my job nearly as successfully without Lisa’s constant support and the enthusiasm of the entire Books for Kids staff. I chose to read The Black Book of Colors not just to Marlowe’s class, but to the all the children at every site. Students loved touching the bumpy pictures in every class. However, it was extra special during Marlowe’s class when she enjoyed the book and never wanted to stop touching the pages. Several staff members have reached out to me and said that Marlowe loves the library books she takes home. She finishes a book and then starts it over again right away. Sometimes it can be difficult for teachers and librarians to see the impact they make, but in this case, I can tell something special is happening.
As a staff, stories like Marlowe’s are shining light posts that take us from day to day and year to year. When books can bring that special feeling of being seen to a child and bring a class together, it is all the proof we need that books can change lives. We hope these stories have given you a glimpse into the world Hannah has created for the kids in Las Vegas.
Thank you, Hannah, for all your work and all your love over the last two years. Books for Kids is glad to have you in the family.
*Name has been changed for privacy.
Books for Kids The Story Corner 