Haleigh's Practicum Diary

Date: 6/17/26

Time Worked: 8:30am-5pm (approx. 8 hours)

Name: Haleigh Hare

Supervisor’s name: Marisa Bateman/ Taylor Brannan (Marisa is supervising my entire experience within the D.C. Public Library System, while Taylor is supervising me in this specific, Georgetown Neighborhood Library, branch)

Description of the Day:

Today was another productive day working on the board book reorganization project, and I feel like I’m finally settling into a rhythm. I continued creating spine labels and made it all the way through the letter “L,” which felt like a pretty big accomplishment considering just how many board books are in the collection. One thing I quickly learned is that creating labels isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Several times I had to scan books into Polaris to see exactly how they appeared in the library’s catalog before deciding what the spine label should say. One example that stood out was a group of books that were marketed as being “From the World of Eric Carle.” Even though Eric Carle didn’t actually write those books, Taylor and I decided to label them all under “C” because that’s how families are most likely to look for them. It was interesting to realize that organizing a library collection isn’t just about following rules—it also requires thinking about how patrons search for materials and making choices that help them find what they’re looking for more easily. Moments like that helped me see that cataloging and collection organization involve a lot more critical thinking than I had expected.

In addition to labeling books, I also spent time evaluating the condition of materials in the collection. Some books were simply too worn to remain on the shelves, so I learned how to remove them from Polaris before discarding them. As I looked through each title, I started paying attention to more than just its physical condition. I also checked how many copies the library owned and whether the book was circulating regularly. If we only had one or two copies of a title that families checked out often, it usually made more sense to keep it in the collection a little longer, even if it showed some wear. Later in the day, I had an unexpected surprise when the preschool where I teach during the school year, Little Folks, reached out to ask if they could bring one of their summer camp classes to visit the library. It was so much fun seeing some of my former students again, and I had the chance to read Superworm by Julia Donaldson, a personal favorite of mine, with them before helping the counselors find books to check out for their classrooms. The experience felt a little surreal because I wasn’t interacting with the children as their teacher this time—I was helping them as a librarian. It made me realize how different those roles can be, even though they both center around supporting children’s learning and curiosity. I wrapped up the day by shelving books and replacing worn spine labels whenever I found them, and by the time I left, I felt like I was beginning to notice all of the little details that keep a library collection useful, welcoming, and ready for the next patron who walks through the door.

Pictured above is a stack of board books being labeled as ‘C’ for the collection. As you can see, both books with author last name beginning with ‘C’ like an Eric Carle book, and books with no listed author whose titles begin with ‘C’ like Car, Car, Truck are grouped together. Additionally, 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle is a bit worse for wear, but due to its popularity, I elected to keep it.