How “Running with a Police Escort” Got Me Moving Again!

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a love-hate relationship with running. I love that thing people call “runner’s high.” I HATE the process; the pounding of the pavement; the time it takes to find that “runner’s high.”

I’ve slogged my way up and down the Custis Trail; I’ve struggled with races including the Marine Corps 10K and the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

In an effort to find that elusive runner’s high, I’ve helped with or co-led the Library’s Reading and Running program in partnership with DC Road Runners.

Reading and Running aims to include helpful seminars and reading lists. The reading list usually includes things like “Running with Kenyans” or “Run! 26.2: Stories of Blisters and Bliss.”

But I wanted a book that spoke to runners like me. Runners who don’t always find it easy or fun; runners who aren’t competitive in the traditional sense; runners who just focus on one foot in front of the other. That’s when I found Jill Grunenwald’s “Running with a Police Escort: Tales from the Back of the Pack.” It was perfect!

Just one small problem… the last Reading and Running took place in May, 2016. Grunenwald’s book didn’t come out until January, 2017. I made a mental note, and have had it on my to-read list since then.

Eight months later and I just finished “Running with a Police Escort.” Grunenwald’s candid and laugh-out-loud chronicles of her adventures in running have re-inspired me to embark on another Couch to 5K training program. Every struggling runner should pick this book up.

Better yet, all those elite runners who breeze by the rest of us should pick it up. It might just give you a peek into the back of the pack.

Oh, and I did I mention that Jill Grunenwald is a librarian? Perfect for this running librarian!

 

What books are inspiring you?

 

 

What’s It Like To Move To A New Work Space?

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

About a month ago I started a temporary stint at the Shirlington Branch Library.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous. Of course I was! Who wouldn’t be? It’s a larger branch than Cherrydale, which means a larger collection, a larger staff, and different patrons.

Luckily for me, the staff here are fantastic. They know their jobs well and do them well. Their knowledge and kindness have made my transition seamless. I’ve also had other colleagues stop by or call to see how I’m making out at the “big” branch. They’ve come or called from across the system – Westover, Central, Columbia Pike.

Patrons from Cherrydale have stopped in to say hello and patrons that I haven’t seen in quite some time recognized me from their days at Cherrydale. One mom stopped me and said “You used to do story time for my son when he was just 3 months old.” Her son is now 3 years old.

It is so nice to know that I have so much support. But what has made this transition so amazing is the kindness of the patrons that are new to me. Many of them have noticed a new face at the reference desk or roaming the stacks. They have gone out of their way to say hello and introduce themselves to me.

Each person here at Shirlington has shared his or her own drops of wisdom – letting me know where the best coffee place is (Peet’s) or the best lunch spot (Cheestique or Hula Girl) or which part of the collection is the best and why.

I hope to earn more of these drops of wisdom while here.

 

Catch a Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

On one of the many cold, rainy mornings in May, a handful of library staff set up a table in front of Starbucks in Virginia Square. We do these 2-3 times a year and call it “Coffee Ambassadors.” The idea is to reach people where they are and to promote the library.

Some people stop by and chat for a while. Others pass by with a wary glance our way. And others, we rope into conversation with shouts of “do you have a library card?” This last one is what drew the attention of a mom and her young daughter.

“Actually, my daughter just signed up for a library card at school and is getting excited about summer reading!”

If there’s one thing that excites librarians, it’s knowing that a child has signed up for a library card! So it’s no surprise that we all started cheering and asking questions. What school? What’s your favorite book? What grade? Did you know that we offer a variety of programs for elementary kids? Who’s your teacher?

It turns out Ms. Powers is the little girl’s teacher. Many library staff know Ms. Powers and her sidekick, Humphrey. With the help of Ms. Powers, Humphrey brought Paws to Read to Arlington Public Library. It’s one of our most successful programs.

Seeing these connections in the real world remind library staff why we do what we do. It reminds us that…

We are community.

 

What are your library stories?

 

Catch a Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

April was Financial Literacy month. Our business librarian has been working hard to promote the month and spotlight the library’s many resources on finance.

I couldn’t help but think of the time one eight year old boy came in to pay his fines.

His father is often upstairs in the loft working and his older sister is a regular library user. She’s always looking for new books and talking to the librarians about the things she’s learning in school. Her little brother, however, is more reserved. He likes to come in, grab his books and be on his way.

One day his older sister marched him straight up to the desk and in her slightly accented English said, “My brother has something he’d like to say.” With his head hung low, he handed me some books and murmured that he wanted to pay his fines.

When I told him that he owed $2.40, his eyes opened wide. He glanced down at the $2.00 that he had very carefully stacked into four sets of 50 and taped together. I saw him nervously look at his sister as if to say “I don’t have enough.”

It was obvious that he had taken great care to bring in the appropriate amount to clear his fines so I told him I would waive the remaining 40 cents. His face lit up in an instant.

His sister helped him learn a very valuable lesson about financial responsibility and saving: he paid that fine over a year ago, and has been in good standing ever since.

I can’t say our administrative finance person was very happy when I forgot to remove the tape from all of those pennies!

 

What are your library stories?

 

Catch A Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library moments brought to you by Librarian K

Every librarian has heard those dreadful words: “Libraries are dying” or “What’s the point of a library? Everything is online.”

Well, guess what? I am a librarian. I see the value of a library in our world of emerging technology:

As I work at the circulation desk assisting patrons, I welcome one of our regular patrons. She is a well-known face, and for the last 30 years has been checking out books – the good old fashioned kind made of paper. This nonagenarian* has also ventured into the audiobook realm.

Tonight, though, she is braving something new. She sits down with our tech tutor to learn about her new tablet, a gift from her granddaughter. She claims she is helpless and will have to set up a standing tech help session. But guess what?  She’s coming back and she wants to learn. This isn’t helplessness; this is determination and the love of learning.

There’s an echo of laughter as she embraces the intricacies of her device. I hear the joy in her voice when she discovers that, even though these devices are new, she can figure them out. Thanks to a “dying” library, she is on her way to being tech-savvy.

 

*nonagenarian (n) – A person between ninety and ninety-nine years (inclusive); a person aged ninety.
Courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary.

 

What are your library stories?