A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian

Months ago, I became curious about what my day would look like if I tried writing it down, as some other bloggers, namely Abby and  Jennifer  have done. I took notes on my activities on a Friday in October, and have finally written it up.

Here is the end result: A Day in the Life of Miss Katie. 


8:45am Arrive at the library

• Check library email 
• Print out Reader's Theater Scripts for 5th grade class visit.
• Take out and review selected books for Baby/Toddler Lap Time. 
• Work a little bit on a document I'm writing to help parents get the most out of story time.

9:30-10:30 At the desk.

• Help a mom find bird books for her reluctant reader fourth grader son. 
• Recommend The Trouble with Chickens, The Falcon's Nest (A to Z Mysteries), The Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest (Carole Marsh Mysteries), and The Cuckoo Boy.)

10:30 Begin setting up for Baby/Toddler lap time.

10:50 Discover that someone has taken and possibly checked out one of my story time books.

• Head back into the storage closet for a replacement.

11:00 Begin lap time.

11:30 Clean up lap time supplies.

• Chat with the nannies and toddlers who come up to talk to me.

11:35 Check library email again.

• Write up today's lap time session.
• Begin planning preschool story time for Monday.
• Print more copies of my story time songs sheet, as requested by a customer.

12:00 - 12:45 Lunch at Subway

12:45 Prepare for 5th grade class visit.

12:55 5th grade arrives five minutes early!

• Pass out reader's theater scripts and have kids pick roles out of a basket. 

1:20 Finish reader's theater, chat with 5th grade teacher and students as they browse and sign onto computers.

1:30 - 3:30 At the desk again.

• Respond to emails from local teachers regarding digital resources for third grade geography, and a first grade class visit.
• Help second grade girl who is a voracious reader find books on animals for her report, and fiction recommendations to expand her horizons beyond Frannie K. Stein. 
• Recommend Mallory McDonald, Moxy Maxwell, Roxie and the Hooligans, Scab for Treasurer.
• Pull holds to be sent out to other libraries
• Clean up the books kids left lying around the library. Attempt to straighten up the bins and displays. 
• Clean up crayons found in bins and on the floor. 
• Help fellow staff member locate a stool that someone had snuck into the story time room.
• Reshelve some Fall picture books I've been holding in the storage closet for the last month and a half.
• Take photograph of flannel props for next week's Flannel Friday post.

3:30 Stop in at the adult work room upstairs for a moment of relaxation, then retire to my work room on the first floor.

3:40 Check library email again.

3:50 Go back to planning story time for Monday.

• Ask on Twitter for help with monster fingerplays.
• Chat in passing with the circulation staff as they come in and out of the work room.
• Print out pathfinders for Star Wars and Magic School Bus books.

4:30 Put pathfinders out on display, pick up someone's leftover raisins from the top of the easy reader shelves.

4:35 Go back to story time planning yet again, but get interrupted by circ staff who have a children's item that was returned with pieces missing.

• Find form email that I send to customers about missing items. Email customer.
• Chat with boss about how many copies of The Help we have in the library.

4:40 Go back to story time planning.

5:10 Finish story time planning, with help from fellow tweeting librarians Anna and Mary.

• Write down story time repertoire in steno notebook 
• Check out a few books for myself, including some Cybils nominees. 
• Pack up my bag and stow story time books in closet.

5:30 Head for home.