Building Relationships One Good Book at a Time
Lower School librarian Amy Thonnerieux has been instructing students, collecting books, and sharing her love of reading with Country Day students for 15 years now.
"I decided I wanted to be a librarian in a round-about way," said Thonnerieux. "It wasn’t until the office I worked at closed down and I was living in a town where I knew no one that everything clicked into place. I would go to the public library every day, borrow books and movies, and hang out. Then, one day it hit me and I thought, 'Wait, I want to do this.' So, I moved back to Cincinnati and started applying to work at libraries around town. I'd walk in and ask the person at the front desk, 'This is what I want to do – do you have any entry-level openings?' I ended up getting a job at a small college, and they were fantastic about showing me the ropes. I did that for a couple of years and loved it so much, so I went back to school and here I am."
A day in the life of a school librarian is more than reading books…although that is a big part.
"Every morning, I go around the school with my library cart to collect books from the students to check the books back in and put them away. Then for most of the day I teach classes," said Thonnerieux. "We’re always working on reading skills, but we’re also doing so much more. Throughout the year, I introduce different books that we have in the library…teach kids how to use the library…teach the kids how to use some of the programs like OneNote…provide the students with introductory coding experience…introduce typing the older students…help the students if they're doing a research project. I also work with the teachers and try to incorporate what they're teaching into something for the kids to experience in a different but applicable way in the library.”
Serving as a librarian puts Amy in a unique position in the lower school. While the students transition from one classroom to the next every year, she remains their librarian year after year.
"It's fun to have the same students each year and then see them in the halls of the middle school and upper school and say hi," said Thonnerieux. "As a librarian, it's rare to know all the students at school but because Country Day is a smaller school, I have the opportunity to do so. And not only do I know their names, but I also build relationships with each of them. That is what excites me to come to work every day – the students. I love seeing their passion and joy for everything they do.”