Community

I’ve written before about how much the library staff enjoys our partnership with the Thunderbird Youth Academy and their twice monthly visits. Thunderbird’s newest cadet group started library visits last week and reminded me what a joy this partnership is for us.

It’s an opportunity for the library staff to flex our professional muscles by recommending books to read, teaching cadets how to use the library, and sharing our love of information and reading with an eager group of young people. These are things we do every day, of course, but on Thunderbird days we get to do what we do best for over 100 cadets in quick succession. Each hour brings another group of 20 or so teenagers looking for information or a good read.

After each Thunderbird visit, the staff is exhausted but exhilarated. We compare notes and are always excited when we’ve been asked something new. Marie and Amanda, who are in charge of selecting and ordering library materials, make note of titles or subjects the cadets asked for that we couldn’t get for one reason or another. We talk about trends we see with each group and what types of books seem most popular. We rejoice when a cadet comes back to tell us he or she liked (or didn’t like) a particular book we recommended.

By the time they’re ready to graduate, we also celebrate (with only the smallest hint of smugness) the fact that many cadets come to the library insisting they hate reading and then morph into some of the best people to ask for book recommendations. Watching and helping to facilitate the transformation from a non-reader to a reader is one of the most validating parts of being a librarian. I’m so glad Thunderbird is part of my librarian experience. I only hope the cadets and their staff get half as much enjoyment out of their visits as we do.

Your library staff tries not to have favorite patrons (just like I’m sure all of you try not to have favorite librarians). I will admit, though, we definitely have a favorite day: Thunderbird Day.

Twice a month, cadets from Thunderbird Youth Academy come to the library during their daily classes. Every hour, we get a new class of cadets searching for information and reading materials. Like any population, their interests are diverse. Also like any population, their reading levels and joy found in reading are varied.

This level of diversity experienced in a single day is what makes Thunderbird days such favorites. Because each class of up to 20 cadets searches for materials for a finite amount of time, the staff must keep our reading recommendation and information searching skills sharp. It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of day where each staff member often juggles the needs of multiple cadets at a time. Not to mention the needs of our regular patrons who happen to come in at the same time.

It’s a tiring day that allows us to do what we do best – connect our patrons to the resources and materials they need. Not only that, we get to know the cadets in a fairly relaxed environment. We also get to know their teachers, sergeants, and support staff whose care and dedication to the cadets’ success is evident.

The partnership between your library and Thunderbird is beneficial to both organizations and, it is my hope, also beneficial to the cadets and their communities. Learning to navigate a library ensures each cadet has the skills necessary to continue a lifetime of learning.

Though I’m sure each cycle is plenty long for the cadets, we are always sad when a cycle ends. We hope our library has been helpful during their time in Pryor and that they had as much fun as we always do.