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Ask a Librarian

Got a burning question? A tough homework assignment? A trivia game to win?

Ways to Ask a Librarian your question:

• Use this form.
• Call Infoline at 791-4010.
• Visit any of our library locations.

Meet your librarian!

We have librarians who specialize in helping teens. Look for your librarian the next time you're in the library.

Aaron

Library:

Joel D. Valdez Main Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

YOU.
I like working with people, so I enjoy going to places like classrooms and neighborhood centers to talk about library services, programs, and all the FREE special events we do, like Teen Time every Wednesday afternoon. Also, I get to be on the library's MySpace as part of my job! We use it to send out announcements about library events and programs (but don't tell anyone that I'm having fun at work).
Oh, and it's kinda' cool to, like, learn new stuff every day too. That sorta' comes with the job...

CD that you play most often:

Lately it's been "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place," by Explosions in the Sky. They're an instrumental band and you may have heard them on the Friday Night Lights soundtrack. I have recently been getting in to a lot of progressive instrumental alternative rock (Red Sparrows, Godspeed You Black Emperor, etc.)

Favorite book:

While I'm writing this...Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini...when you're reading this, who knows what my favorite book will be...

Matt

Library:

Southwest Branch Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

Working on media arts projects with teens, like last year's That's My Take. Call me at my branch if you're interested in filmmaking, poetry, or art - 791-4009.

CD that you play most often:

A Tribute to the Beast - this tribute album features European death-metal bands singing covers of Iron Maiden classics. When I drive my kids to school they demand I play for them Hallowed Be Thy Name performed by Cradle of Filth; no kidding.

Favorite book:

Der Strewwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffman. "One of the most popular and influential children's books ever written, this time-honored tale - sure to produce lots of giggles - describes the gruesome consequences that befall children who torment animals, play with matches, suck their thumbs, refuse to eat, and fidget at meals. A collector's item, written in rhyming couplets and illustrated by the author." (--Amazon.com) I loved it when my parents read this book to me. I really identified with the character who walked around daydreaming all the time. He looked at the sky so much that he either fell into the river or got hit by a truck, I can't remember which.

Kendra

Library:

Dusenberry-River Branch Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

I am a problem solver by nature so helping people find answers to what they are looking for is a great part of my job.

CD that you play most often:

It really depends on my mood. Lately, I have been listening to The Killers, Artic Monkey and Cake. If I need something to keep me going I listen to System of a Down or Tank! from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. I also really like Keane, The Chills and Andrew Bird.

Favorite book:

I hate picking a favorite anything since it is always changing, but my favorite thing to do is to pick a bunch of books off the shelf at random. I love being surprised by a book or author. I recently read Tangerine by Edward Bloor. I did not think I was going to like it since it was about sports, but the characters were great. I also really like Hens Dancing, The Dark Lord of Derkholm, PopCo and Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

Pam

Library:

Nanini Branch Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

Finding out about people and the world never stops - it's pretty exhilirating! I love planning fun programs, being challenged by patrons' needs and helping to create a library that's responsive to the public.

CD that you play most often:

Recently I've been listening to Scottish folk-rocker Roddy Woomble's CD, My Secret is My Silence. You can hear and see him perform the title track on www.youtube.com. I also love the Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Classics I often turn to are Chopin's Ballades and Puccini's operas.

Favorite book:

As a teen I loved Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Recently I've read two terrific books that are set in the Southwest, Weedflower a teen novel by Cynthia Kadohata and The Hummingbird's Daughter, an adult novel by Luis Alberto Urrea.

Mary

Library:

Murphy-Wilmot Branch Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

There isn't just one best thing! I like that I get to learn something new every day. There is information about everything right at my fingertips. I like that creativity is encouraged among librarians, and I like that I get the chance to work with teens on a regular basis.

CD that you play most often:

There isn't one because I listen to certain songs rather than one artist's entire CD, but you won't find classic rock or heavy metal in my collection.

Favorite book:

This is a trick question! A librarian can't answer with just one book. Let me categorize: When it comes to classics, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. My favorite teen books include Holes by Louis Sachar and The Giver by Lois Lowry. My favorite kid books include Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary and Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Let's not forget nonfiction! Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz.

Suzie

Library:

Joel D Valdez Main Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

Working with people, helping them find something that is important to their lives. I love it when people find what they need and leave happy! Every day is different and you get to explore all kinds of topics and questions. And then there are all the books on every subject you can think of! For people who have a lot of curiosity it is just fun!

CD that you play most often:

I like all kinds of music and I especially like hearing local musicians. Right now in my CD player I have the Determined Luddites, Titan Valley Warheads and Lisa Otey, all local musicians you can go and see in person.

Favorite book:

How to decide! I recently read Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry which was really thought provoking. I also love everything by Ursula K. LeGuin, especially The Earthsea Series. One book that I pick up and read from when things about life are bothering me is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. I also love In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, even though its ending is very sad. And I like biographies too.

John

Library:

Juvenile Detention Center

Best thing about being a librarian:

Honestly, I really love being part of a scholarly profession in which I help people achieve their information needs. In fact, I wish I'd gone to graduate library school when I was younger...if so, I'd be a Librarian III (branch manager) by now!

CD that you play most often:

I play the Irish flute and whistle; so the one CD that's been in my player continuously for a few years is Green Linnet Records: 25 Years of Celtic Music, which I first checked out from PCPL's collection.

Favorite book:

The Martian Chronicles -- wistful tales of humanity's hubris and rebirth -- by Ray Bradbury, which I've been rereading every few years or so since high school.

Liz

Library:

Joel D. Valdez Main Library, Outreach Services

Best thing about being a librarian:

I'm officially a Library Associate in the process of earning my master's degree and hoping to become a full-fledged Librarian. That said, I've been working in libraries for 17 years as a paraprofessional reference person so I know what I'm getting into! My joy in this work comes from making a positive difference in people's lives. One moment I'm giving someone tools to write a term paper or the Great American Novel, the next it's finding the perfect website or the perfect novel to take on vacation. Introducing people to things that expand their experiences and knowledge, their imagination and their creativity are wonderfully meaningful and magical.

CD that you play most often:

I go through cycles of music and recently it has been the soundtrack CDs for World of Warcraft, a game I've played for two years. The composers and musicians are multiple Grammy award-winners, and the orchestral and choral compositions are astonishingly rich for being just game music. Celtic and Nordic music make a regular appearance on my machines, as well as anything from Loreena McKennitt and almost anything from Jethro Tull (especially Songs from the Wood.)

Favorite book:

An impossible question! It would be only a bit easier to name a couple of my favorite authors. For fiction: Lindsey Davis (the Falco mysteries), Robin Hobb and Emma Bull (both write fantasy), and of course Neil Gaiman come immediately to mind. I read a lot of non-fiction, especially books about how the mind works (Blink by Gladwell, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Sacks), about how society works (Convergence Culture by Jenkins, who also wrote Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers) and about history and art (Celtic art: from its beginnings to the Book of Kells by Megaw).

Jen

Library:

Virtual Library

Best thing about being a librarian:

Variety and constant change! Libraries offer all different career opportunities, the work is exciting, never the same from one day to the next, and working with people is satisfying, interesting, and always challenging.

CD that you play most often:

Hmmm... Lately it's been the Celtic Tides and Nuevo Latino CD's from Putumayo World Music.

Favorite book:

I have two - I Heard the Owl Call My Name and Cry the Beloved Country. Both are very moving. The lyrical quality of the language in Cry the Beloved Country is worth it in and of itself. I read both of these books every year.