Gratitude for children’s librarians
EDITOR: I just returned from the Healdsburg branch of Sonoma County Library. I walked inside for the first time in more than a year. I felt emotional and deeply grateful.
I was there to pick up dozens of books on animals that live in our Russian River Watershed.
We have five classes of second graders doing research and reports on our local fauna this spring. Sure, we have pertinent books on many of these familiar animals, but we never have enough for everyone. And, it is sometimes a scramble with some disappointed students or teachers. Librarian Charity Anderson at Sonoma County Library (SCL) Healdsburg is very much in tune with what we do at school and what our kids need and like to read, including great nonfiction. So, I just emailed Charity, and a day later all the books we needed for our reports were ready for me to check out.Â
Thanks to my educator card, I can check out so many books at once for a long time.
Thanks to our participation in the Student One Card Program, our students can all access SCL databases and books ( e, audio and print ) and have been able to do so throughout the pandemic. (Great collaboration, Erin Fender, Loreen Azevedo and Rachel Icaza.)
As we all know, the students and families we see accessing library books and library resources are those who most often have the greatest academic success; not to mention that they also often experience early the revelation that learning is a joy.
In addition to librarian Charity Anderson’s ever helpful kindness and expertise, our students have been more than well served by librarian Rachel Icaza, who provided boxes and boxes of books to give away with our Libros and Lunch program last summer. Rachel also worked hard on the Student One Card and continues to keep local school librarians updated about SCL activities, resources, and new book purchases.
Rachel and Charity deserve real appreciation for service and collaborations with our schools, especially during this difficult past year. All of us at HES are so grateful to both these smart, resourceful, and accessible Librarian friends.
Greta Mesics and Curio Owl
Library Learning Commons
Healdsburg Elementary School
Healdsburg
