An interview with random OLA member #8: Laura Prinselaar
While Southern Ontario was enjoying its first hints of spring, and students at my university were shucking off their jackets and shirts, I contacted Laura in Thunder Bay where they too were experiencing unseasonably warm weather at -7 C. I pep- pered Laura with questions about her role as Children & Youth Services Librarian at Thunder Bay Public Library, and show- ered her with queries about life in the exotic (to me) far north.
How in the world did you wind up in Thunder Bay?
I was very lucky that a job came up shortly after I finished library school. I grew up here. My family is here. I graduated from the University of Western Ontario in August 2010 and started this job in December.
How did you decide to go to library school?
I worked in an academic library during my undergraduate degree and enjoyed it. I did my MA in English at Lakehead with a focus on children's literature, so it seemed like a logical, good idea to combine this with librarianship. I love interacting with people and I'm passionate about children's literature.
Tell me about working at your library.
Well, I don't have a typical office. My desk is on the floor of the children's department. So I can see when people are looking for something and I can help them. I really enjoy that. I am responsible for collection development for the teen section, and the new teen website, and I create programming for babies, children, and teens. I love playing with the babies! Children that age are so great. I tell my friends about the lovely babies I meet.
Also, the staff in the Thunder Bay Public Library system are incredibly supportive and welcoming. There's a strong sense of community. They do silly things sometimes, like a Free Choco- late Day when people's names are drawn for prizes of choco- lates and cupcakes.
The patrons are strong supporters of the library too. They came as kids, and now they bring their kids and even grandkids. There's lots of community history in the library.
What's the most surprising thing about your job so far?
What a wide variety of paranormal romances there are for teens! The Twilight series kicked it off and now there's not just vampires but fairies and zombies. Some are a little out there, and are becoming increasingly implausible, like enchanted ani- mals or spells that were cast 1,000 years ago and happen to be taking effect now - but for only 15 minutes on Tuesdays.
If a patron asks you to buy a book that you think is ... crap ... do you do it? I don't make value judgements on people's reading taste. If I read poor reviews of a book but I know there is enough interest in it, I will buy it. I respect people's choices and passions and try to support them. I just think it's great that people are reading.
What's your take on reading scary stories to children?
I think kids can handle a lot. We underestimate them. Some are more sensitive or imaginative than others, but I wouldn't stop a kid from reading something they picked up and were interested in, even if I thought it might be scary.
So let me ask you a bit about living in Thunder Bay. Many Southern Ontarians go north for vacation. Where to people from Thunder Bay go?
South, where it's warm!
What are some things people are ignorant about when it comes to Thunder Bay?
Just how far it really is. It takes 18-20 hours to drive from Toronto. Also, it can get really warm in the summer, up to 30°C for days in a row.
Do you feel it's easy to stay in touch with the library community in the rest of the province?
I do pay attention to what's going on and I have friends from library school that I talk to and learn about what's going on in their libraries. It's fun to compare notes. For example, I was talking to Scott Robins [Random Library Generator #7] who works in Toronto, and around Christmastime we had decora- tions everywhere in our library. There was not an unadorned wall in the place. By contrast, Scott said his public library doesn't do much in the way of decorating for the seasons. But here it's a big part of the culture, everyone adding their personal touches.
Admittedly, this is a randomly generated question. What's your dream lunch?
Anything with chocolate milk.
And finally, let's play the "How well do you fit the librarian stereotypes" game. Like to cook?
– No. I eat a lot of cereal
Read mysteries?
- No, do librarians read mysteries?
Gardening?
- No, I kill green things.
Do you socialize with other librarians?
- Yes, I do.
Do you own a cat?
- Yes! He's very handsome. His name is Mr. Bundles, Esq. I gave him a normal name at first, but it didn't fit. I was calling him "Bunny" but I didn't want to confuse him, so it became "Mr. Bundles." "Mr B." to his friends.
Can you give us a teaser about the next OLA member you've picked to be interviewed for this column?
Gisella Scalese, the Education Librarian for Lakehead University, was my supervisor when I worked there, and is an amazingly warm and friendly person.
Robin Bergart is User Experience Librarian at the University of Guelph
Library. rbergart@uoguelph.ca
