Haleigh's Practicum Diary

Date: 6/1/26

Time Worked: 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm (approx. 7 hours)

Name: Haleigh Hare

Supervisor’s name: Marisa Bateman/ Julie Kulikowski (Marisa is supervising my entire experience within the D.C. Public Library System, while Julie is supervising me in this specific, West End Library, branch)

Description of the Day:

Since Julie was stationed outside for the event, I had the opportunity to manage the children’s room for a couple of hours. During that time, I tidied the space by gathering loose books and placing them on the reshelving cart, while also assisting families visiting the library. Many of the patrons appeared to be regular visitors, which gave me a chance to observe the strong relationships that Julie has built within the community. One particularly rewarding interaction was with an older couple who came in looking for books appropriate for their two-year-old granddaughter, who would be visiting for a week. After discussing her interests—including cars, dogs, and construction equipment—I helped them locate more than ten board books to check out. It was satisfying to use readers’ advisory skills to connect a young child with books that matched her interests and developmental level.

Once the kickoff event concluded, Julie brought in the paper registration forms that patrons had completed outside. I entered the information into Beanstack, creating accounts and registering participants for the Discover Summer program. This task helped me better understand the administrative side of large-scale library initiatives and the work required to ensure accurate patron records and program participation.

Afterward, Julie and I discussed plans for the family story time I would be leading on Wednesday. Because the event coincided with the 130th birthday of DC Public Library, we decided to create a birthday-themed story time. I spent some time brainstorming books, songs, and interactive activities that would fit the theme and engage children of different ages. Preparing to lead a program independently was both exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but I appreciated having the opportunity to apply what I have learned in my coursework to a real-world setting.

Later in the day, Julie and I joined a Zoom meeting with the Discover Summer committee. During the meeting, committee members discussed prize offerings, participation goals, and the logistics of distributing materials to each branch. It was interesting to see the amount of planning and coordination required to implement a library-wide program. The meeting gave me a broader perspective on how large public library systems collaborate across departments to create consistent experiences for patrons throughout the city.

Pictured above is the Discover Summer bingo card that was given to patrons at every DCPL branch. Children can win prizes for completing the bingo board and tracking their progress online.