teens

As Systems Administrator and Youth Services Coordinator of the Barton Public Library, Mindy Farley has run into the usual technical problems such as a freezing computer or a patron unable to open a document. But within the past three years, her library has experienced far more than its fair share of tough challenges and adversity. Mindy has faced every challenge with an optimistic attitude, and learned from each experience.

As Technology Education Librarian at the ImaginOn Library in North Carolina’s Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) system, Kelly Czarnecki inspires creativity and learning through games, computer programming and multimedia production at a unique cultural institution designed and built specifically for children and young adults.  

In a small mountain town in southeastern New Mexico, Phyllis Reed directs Ruidoso Public Library with little outside technical help. Despite its somewhat oxymoronic name (Ruidoso means “noisy” in Spanish), and the fact that the clientele population snowballs during the winter, the library runs smoothly and efficiently. This efficiency is due, in large part, to the director’s unspoken rule of thumb: give people a fish and they’ll eat for the day, but teach them how to fish and they’ll eat forever. Reed believes that everyone – colleagues and clients alike – benefits best by sharing, by not hoarding information, and by daring to problem solve and learn as a team.

Somewhere along the way, there is always that one librarian who seems to be just as excited—if not more—than you or the other patrons about the pursuit and sharing of knowledge and information. Annie Adamson, a librarian of Caldwell Public Library, is one such enthusiastic—and enthusing—example.