“We did about 1,000 programs last year just in the children’s library.”
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.” - Dr. Seuss
It’s been a while since I felt the magic and wonder in my life that I felt regularly as a child. Luckily for me, in my adult years, I’ve learned that Dr. Seuss is right. All you need to suddenly be in a place where magic and mystery are still alive and well is a book. Luckily for them, many children realize that you don’t have to wait until you’re a boring old adult to have this epiphany. Today we speak with the children’s librarian for the Boston Public Library, Maggie Levine. She’ll tell us about what the heck librarians do all day, and explain why being a librarian for children is so much more fun than working with adults.
“There are 24 branches across the city, and each brach has its own children’s librarian.”
“One of the biggest pieces of advice that was given to us in grad school was, be ready to move in search of a job. Don’t expect that you will find a full time job in the city where you want to be.”
Interview Contents
2:15 - What a librarian actually does.
4:15 - Drag queen story time.
5:30 - The number of librarians on staff.
9:15 - What Maggie does day to day.
10:45 - Coordinating events.
14:00 - Requirements to become a librarian.
16:30 - Getting a masters in library science.
18:30 - Finding what books to recommend to children.
21:00 - Roleplay time!
23:00 - Strange things you need to know as a librarian.
24:30 - How to renovate the library.
27:00 - Kids using tech.
30:00 - Knowing what books to bring into the library.
33:00 - Whose reviews to trust.
34:00 - What age does the children's library serve, and what age kids actually go.
38:30 - Maggie’s path to becoming a librarian.
40:30 - The benefit of working with kids.
41:45 - The best part of Maggie’s job.
43:00 - Other jobs someone with a masters in library science can have.
46:00 - The difficulty of becoming a librarian.
Links
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Kevin Cole
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
