Week 1 Post

My first week as an intern at the Indian Prairie Public Library has been everything that I had hoped that it would be. The staff was warm and knowledgeable, the patrons were engaged, and the facility was clearly well used and appreciated. Upon my arrival I met with Amy Merda, the head of the Programming and Outreach (P&O) department. Her team is in charge of all of the fun events that the library puts on for the community, as well as venturing out into said community to raise awareness of library services, facilitate book checkouts, and engage with educators.  

As my current role as a library assistant at a high school limits me to working with those in grades 9 through 12, I am particularly excited to learn more about library programming for other age groups. One of the activities that I assisted with during my shift was a library managed Dungeons and Dragons gaming campaign. Sara, the librarian in charge of the event, was able to build a dedicated group of role-players that returns week after week.  They take joy in developing new players and have even transitioned into meeting outside of library-orchestrated time. The event itself was two hours but it ran late, as there was too much adventuring to be contained to the time limit. I had to leave at my designated end time, so I didn't see the event conclude, but I left with such a full feeling of community, imagination, and friendship. 

Force 3, Building Community, in the PLA Leadership Development Framework calls for partnerships that are nimble and innovative in their relationships with the public. What I saw during my shift with the P&O department exemplifies IPPLs dedication to this ideal. Sara and her team of volunteer Dungeon Masters have responded to a need in the community and grown it into a home for dozens of creative, imaginative, and often isolated patrons to come together to share a common joy. I am so looking forward to learning more from this institution.