~Service Learning Entry #6~

My latest stint at the library was Monday evening. I think that of all the times I've gone so far, this is my favorite. I was in the Children's section the whole time, and believe it or not, there were actually several people there. While there wasn't a lot for me to do, I kept fairly busy. First I folded flyers, and then I kind of entertained myself talking to a little girl about the baby shark that sits on the counter. We discussed its eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fins, where it would have lived if nobody had killed if for the sake of science(no, I didn't involve her in my mental tangent), and many other things. She was really curious about it. I did discover that I know more about sharks than I thought I did... or else I made it all up. Soon it was Storytime, though, and I was off to pass out coloring sheets and crayons. The Monday night Storytime isn't quite as well-attended as the Saturday morning one, but there were still several smaller children there with their parents. I stamped all of their hands on the way out the door, which to me is very exciting, though I'm not sure how charged up they were about it.

Once Storytime was over though, it was back to having absolutely nothing to do. I didn't feel bad about it though, like I do in Circulation, because the regular employees didn't have anything to do either. For the last 40 minutes I was there, we just sat around and talked about the library and about school, and even started a JPL Facebook group. The girls that work in the Children's section are all college students, though most of them are about to start grad school. One just received her acceptance letter to our Dental Hygiene program and is very excited about it. Krista, the one I have spent the most time with, is finishing up her student teaching in Carl Junction and is applying to MU's Library Sciences graduate program.

I feel like I've been really accepted into their "culture," if you want to call it that. At first I was kind of afraid of it, as I'm generally better with older people than with my contemporaries. As it has turned out though, they're really all a very friendly and accepting bunch.

I believe the funniest thing that has come out of all of this though, is the proof that I'm not always aware of what's (or who's) right in front of me. On one of my first visits to the library, I saw a guy working in Circulation who looked vaguely familiar to me. I decided that it was because I had seen him there before and just not registered it. Monday night, though, he came over to the Children's section to drop off something, and he started talking to the other girls. They introduced us, and he looked at me like I was totally missing something... I didn't have a clue until Wednesday in band he came over and stood right in front of me holding his baritone until I figured out who he was and where I'd seen him, and then of course proceeded to make fun of me. It was really quite hilarious, but it has (hopefully) taught me to be a little more observant or people will think I'm crazy... not that they'd be all that wrong.