Meet Erin, the new Youth Services Librarian!

Part of "a day in the life series"

Good afternoon Norwich,

Grab a cup of coffee and take a moment and let me introduce you to Erin Davison, the new Youth Services Librarian at the Norwich Public Library. I reached out to her recently and asked if she would like to tell us a little about her day in the neighborhood. Here is what her day is like or should I say her week. Enjoy the story .

Meet Erin Davison… Hello , Do you speak EMOJI?

Erin, always anxious to introduce you to the world of reading.

It all happens here at the Library

And here is what Erin has to say:

I’m so excited to be able to share what a day in my life as the youth services librarian looks like! However I never have any idea what’s going to happen on any given day, and every single day is different. So instead of focusing on just one day, I thought I’d give you some highlights from each day. 

Mondays: Because we’re not open to the public in the morning, Mondays are a great time to catch up on the “stuff” that requires a little more time or attention. My favorite thing about Mondays is our weekly check-in meeting with Lisa, Lucinda, and Upstairs Erin. It helps me feel connected to the rest of the library. My other favorite thing about Mondays is our vibrant after school crowd. From 3:15pm-5:15pm, the downstairs is hopping with a regular group of kids– playing together around the magnatile/train table, writing poems or doodling on the dry erase tables, or requesting craft supplies to make something fabulous. Our kids are creative and continuously coming up with new and inventive ideas.

Tuesdays: Tuesday mornings I “open,” which entails stopping at Dan and Whit’s to pick up the New York Times, checking phone messages, emptying the outdoor book drop, turning on the computers, lights, and air purifiers, and putting out the flags. Phew! Mornings are pretty quiet downstairs, though occasionally I get a welcome visitor. Tuesdays are mostly about trying to get everything done before Lego Tuesday and the inevitable, awesome chaos of one of our busiest days. Kids asking for coloring sheets and scissors! Kids bringing me their Lego creations and telling me about them! Checking people out! Helping people find books! I absolutely could not do it all without my other half, Nitzah. 

Wednesdays: We’ve made it to my favorite day of the week– storytime in the morning AND early dismissal at Marion Cross! I get to the library a little early to set up chairs and toys before storytime starts at 10:15am. I never know how many people or what ages will attend, so I have a number of books, songs, and activities ready to go. We sing, play, talk, and dance together for about 25 minutes and then families hang out for unstructured play time. No matter my mood at the onset, storytime always makes me happy. After storytime is over and all of the adrenaline has left my body, I try to remember to eat lunch and drink water and have a moment to catch up with Nitzah to make sure we’re ready to go for whatever we have planned for Wednesday after school. If we don’t have a formal program, there’s a good chance you’ll find impromptu Rubik’s Cube races, a cluster of kids hovering around a computer looking at dream furniture for our department, or quizzing each other about  cat facts. You never know what might happen on a Wednesday after school! 

The timing of my visit was perfect as story time was just getting started and here is a short video of the opening song.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b6yVkoHP2KC0HNtyGgXWv7vA

Thursdays: I’ll admit that after the hubbub of Wednesdays, Thursdays can feel a little blah. It’s a good day to regroup, make sure I’m on track with my weekly to-do list, and plan for the next week, month, or season. Sometimes we have planned after school programs, which I always look forward to. Sometimes we have unplanned after school programs, like the time I found a mini-doughnut machine in the cupboard and just had to use up some leftover frosting! Surprise! It’s mini-doughnut day at NPL! 

Fridays: I mean, who doesn’t love Fridays (even if you love your job as much as I do)?!? One Friday a month, I host an early literacy program, like gross motor play or messy art, and it’s always a treat to engage with our littlest ones in new and different ways. Fridays are great days for ordering new books, weeding, cleaning my desk, and resetting before we start all over again next week!

The downstairs has been newly renovated with spaces and places for children to enjoy.

Chapter Books

Early Chapter and Pictures section

An Early Readers section where they can choose their books etc.

Biography and Non-Fiction

A nice quiet space to choose what you wish to do

It seems a little hungry but for what? Perhaps this is a recycle monster?

Children’s Art is displayed for all to see

Graphic novels

Why they even have Magnatiles. How cool is that!

And a poster for all the Pokeman fans