A Day in the Life of a Judaica Librarian

This post is written for Round 7 of Library Day in the Life, a project started by librarian blogger Bobbi Newman at LibrarianByDay.net. Librarians across the world explain what they do (it's not just sitting around and reading!).To see a list of the 200+ participants (of which I am Number 69), visit http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/w/page/42017739/Roun.

I am the librarian and computer teacher at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida, where I work with the synagogue's preschool and religious school. During the school year, a typical "day in the life" includes teaching up to ten preschool classes in a row, performing storytimes or conducting lessons on computer skills. Later in the day, this may be followed by a visit with religious school classes, using the power of story to connect them with their Jewish heritage. When no students are in the room, I am typically doing lesson planning, maintaining the library's 7000+ volume collection, and working on my podcast, The Book of Life. My days often include other professional work, such as volunteering with the Association of Jewish Libraries, of which I am the Vice President / President-Elect.

Right now it's summer break, so my day is not so fast-paced. Here's what I did today:

• Had a very productive meeting with my director about revamping the preschool blog.
• Brainstormed for a possible new library enrichment project: preschool literacy centers, wrote up a proposal and started seeking out materials that could be used in such centers.
• Checked in and shelved returned library books.
• Wrote a book review for School Library Journal, to which I am a regular contributor. Also received editorial comments on an article I am currently writing for SLJ.
• Got up on a stepstool and wrote the names of donors onto the artificial (but real-looking) leaves on the Tree of Knowledge that is built into the storytime corner, using a gold pen.

I'd also like to note that today the library was used by early drop-off child care, by a summer camp group who came by to read a story, and by the bar mitzvah tutor who worked with two different students, helping them to practice chanting their Torah portions.