Elizabeth Hurtado-Lafont

I believe patrons and visitors in the library deserve high-level services and programs, whether an organization has a vast budget and immense installations or it is one in a rural community. I am a lifelong learner and will always look for ways to positively influence my community members, especially the young minds that come through the library doors. As a Youth librarian, it is a privilege the opportunity to shape little minds inspiring them to become their best version each day. I bring passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to each job I must perform as a librarian. Whether they are programs, collection development, outreach, or storytime, I understand each has its value in building informative and educated communities. I will utilize my professional knowledge to promote the development and achievement library's goals, creating an environment of success, organization, and responsibility.

Circumstances around me should not determine my attitude. This is why I am compromising with myself to be at the disposition to conduct patrons in their search of information anytime and with my best disposition. I will not assume everyone in the library knows how to look for a book, how to use a computer, what collections are available, or the multiple services and formats of our information. My assistance should be oriented toward communication and instructions per suiting to connect with patrons, offering accurate information and teaching skills in library and information services. I think it would be the best way to demonstrate m  intentionality.

As a children's librarian, I must be respectful to every child would I meet. As I mentioned, I will take advantage of the excellent opportunity to influence children and teach them about self-love, compassion, kindness, and diversity. I will be working to create stimulating and engaging environments, incorporating diverse materials and toys and helping children learn to thrive in new social settings. I firmly believe that young children learn best t rough playing, so I will consistently strive to include songs, puppets, poems, stories, games, art activities, and hands-on exploration to reach more academic-focused topics while ensuring a healthy dose of free-choice play. Also, I want to be aware of the different age groups that visit the Children's department and incorporate services that supply their specific needs according to their development abilities and skills to help parents raise reading lovers. According to childhood researchers, many benefits are involved in growing as a reader. One of them is that a child who loves to read can learn spelling, vocabulary, and grammar, which also improves his writing skills – an essential skill to learn in the age of communication. The more a child reads, the more his brain creates neural connections that enable him to communicate efficiently and effectively (Raising smart kids, 2022).

Picture 1. Children's Department at Springdale Public Library.                                                   Picture 2. Reading a book with my son Eliam during a virtual storytime from Puerto Rico

I won't be afraid of technological advances or changes; instead, I will maintain developing my career knowledge and growing to serve the information field best. As much as possible, I will be an anchor between children and technology. Showing them how to make responsible use of these kinds of resources for their benefit, education, and their future professional goals. Also, I believe in inclusion, diversity, and cultural empowerment in libraries. I want to impact children coming from other countries to make them feel proud of their roots; and from the other side of the mirror, to move children born in this country to develop a sense of empathy and push back against bias, racism, and prejudice, building together a robust community. I plan to show support for these beliefs during the implementation of my programs and Storytimes. Reading allows children to explore their worlds through the magic of stories. In the pages of a book, they discover curiosity and empathy. They learn to see the world not just through their eyes but through the eyes of others (Los Angeles Times, 2018)

I will bring reflection when I am in charge and doing collection development. The responsibility to select books for an entire community could be challenging. I feel committed to equity and social justice and want to avoid self-censorship whenever my own beliefs wish to be an obstacle. I want to foster information equity and access t  advocate for positive community changes.