Miss Joanne and Amanda B. make up our Youth Services team here at Winters-Bellbrook Community Library. These ladies have a very difficult job, as they do all of the programming and services for the broadest age range—babies through young adults! I sat down with my team to find out more.
Joanne, what is your favorite thing about your job?
“I love the kids! You can feel grumpy or tired in the morning but one look at the kids waiting to hear stories and your energy level shoots up and you’re ready to go.”
Do you have a favorite book to recommend?
“I love Harry Potter! It has become a tradition to end Summer Reading with a Harry Potter event on July 31st. Harry’s birthday, of course! My husband took me to the Wizarding World in Orlando for my birthday in January!”
What is your librarian super power?
“My super power is that I have the ability to adapt! I can change the course of a story time or any event quickly if things are not going as planned. I feel that I can pretty much roll with the punches. I also think that I have a creative streak that comes out when decorating anything.”
Tell us a fun fact about you.
“I am a Trekkie! I’ve been to a convention in L.A. and my husband proposed while we were watching an episode. No, I do not remember which one.”
Then I asked Amanda what her favorite thing about her job is.
“The best thing about working in Youth Services is getting to interact with the teens. They continuously surprise me with how funny and insightful they are. I can honestly say that I think I have just as much fun at my programs as the teens do.”
Amanda has been with us only a few months, so I asked her to tell us the most unexpected thing she has learned.
“In my short time here at Winters, I have learned that no two workdays are ever the same. I am faced with a new situation every single workday, which keeps me on my toes.”
We always say “if I had all the money in the world…” So I asked Amanda that very thing.
“If money were no issue, I’d build a second story onto the library. I would love to create a space for teens to hang out after school to do homework, read, and interact with friends.”
What is a fun fact about Amanda? She gave us two!
“I have a Little Free Library in my yard, and I like to compete in sprint triathlons.”
These gals have become masters at space and time as they continually do more story times and programs each month. Would you believe on average, these two do over 35 programs, clubs, story times, crafts, events, and outreach every single month? Whether you have small ones, teens, or grandkids that know Miss Joanne or Amanda it’s clear that the impact they have in the Bellbrook community is great. They love their job and their community!
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