I loved creating this website. It really gave me a chance to think about how I would implement programming in my own Children's Department and how I would continuously evaluate it to ensure it was meeting goals and expectations. I also thoroughly enjoyed creating the website design and aesthetics. This has been one of my favorite assignments so far, as I was able to focus on how I wanted to incorporate joy into my work.

 

​When I was creating these programs and this website, I wanted to make it something that I personally would use, and I wanted it to be about something that I am passionate about. I've included programming such as StoryWalk that embraces nature, as there is much research on the benefits of nature on child development. Libraries can play a large role in that. I've included programming like Therapy-Dog Storytime that encourages learning to be kind to and comfortable with animals. There is ample evidence that reading to dogs can help children develop strong literacy skills. Tying these elements into my programming plan repeatedly, to offer consistency, development, and a set expectation was important to me.

 

At the heart of the matter for me, however, is the ability to provide informed, inclusive, and supportive programming to patrons who are struggling with issues of inequity. That is actually what I am centering a large part of my degree coursework on as a whole. I have seen libraries fail at creating and implementing inclusive, informed, and supportive programming and it has truly broken my heart. I have also seen libraries go above and beyond in creating programming that opened their arms to patrons struggling with issues of inequity, and this has given me such incredible hope and joy. With my career, I hope to help libraries truly understand how important they are in the battle for equity that their patrons and staff are enmeshed in, and to encourage and inspire libraries to reach new heights in what they offer to their patrons who are struggling.

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Libraries embody a social model that exists to provide resources and information to any who would seek it, regardless of the amount of equity they have in an inequitable culture. Libraries are stepping up to be on the front lines of the fight for equity for marginalized peoples. They are modeling the behavior of self-examination of their own participation in oppressive systems, and they are working to support their patrons and employees of color, those in the LGBT+ community, and womxn, specifically. Libraries give hope to a more equitable future.