Meeting a Dynamic Recent MLIS Graduate

Thursday, June 9, 2022, 4pm-9pm

       I was at the Adult Services desk again, and today I worked with a couple of different staff members. I worked with Julie Chapa, an Adult Servies Librarian, for the first part of the shift. When I think of my suburban town of Round Rock, TX, I don't think of the unhoused being a part of our population. Still, like a lot is happening behind the scenes in the library, a lot is happening in the suburbs than the average citizen knows about. As we were standing at the desk, one of the other library managers informed us that he had to call the police on a patron. There is a patron who is a regular that has mental health issues and is not housed in a permanent situation. The patron often gets into situations that require assistance from outside the library staff. I learned that the city has a crisis team that comes out to assist in these situations, and they were able to come to the library and help the patron in question. Amongst ourselves, as library staff, we discussed the ethical conundrum that comes with having to call law enforcement and the crisis team on the public. It was definitely an eye-opening experience on the nuances that are involved. 

    The rest of my shift I spent shadowing Erica Long, who I quickly learned is a dynamic, energetic librarian. She has been on staff for two years but is a recent MSLIS graduate from Texas Women's University. Over the past year, I have noticed that the library has been conducting much more programming and marketing on its social media. I realized that she is the force behind these changes. Erica only works part-time at the library, making her work even more impressive. During our evening together, we helped various patrons. One patron that stands out was a dad and his middle school-aged daughter. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in finding the book at our library or through interlibrary loans. The book, it turns out, had recently been published in Spain. Even though we weren't able to help her get a physical copy of the book, we were able to find where she could purchase an ebook version. I was impressed and touched by the father's determination to find the book for her. They were thankfully satisfied with our help. 

    Other than helping patrons, I also peeked into a program about tabletop games. The librarians were not sure what the turnout would be like, but they were happy that sixteen patrons attended. I also spent tonight going through the stacks to familiarize myself with the collection. While perusing the shelves, I straightened out the books and replaced the books on display. 

Example of one of the Displays that I refilled today.

Sara Gandaría-Escamilla Geeta Halley, Site Supervisor Practicum Schedule