Haleigh's Practicum Diary

Date: 6/18/26

Time Worked: 9:30am-5pm (approx. 7 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:

Thursdays at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library look slightly different as the library doesn’t open to the public until noon. I arrived at 9:30 that morning, giving the staff and I a few hours to work on behind-the-scenes projects before patrons came through the doors. Fatima had a special project lined up for me that ended up taking almost the entire day. The children’s section of the staff room had slowly become a catch-all space for supplies, leftover program materials, and just about anything that didn’t have a designated home. While it looked a little overwhelming at first, I actually enjoy organizing, so I was excited to make the space more functional. As I sorted through everything, I realized just how many materials and resources are needed to support a busy children’s department. It was one of those jobs that patrons will probably never notice, but having an organized workspace makes it much easier for staff to prepare programs and quickly find what they need.

One of the biggest parts of the project was organizing supplies from DC Public Library’s Discover Summer program. I found prizes ranging from water bottles, headphones, and canvas tote bags to vouchers for Shake Shack and Washington Nationals tickets, all of which are used to encourage children and teens to participate in summer reading. I also sorted through materials from Beyond the Book, a DC Public Library program that extends the reading experience by pairing selected books with hands-on activities, and creative projects that help children connect more deeply with the selected stories. There were extra activity books, leftover program books, and donated children’s books that had accumulated over time, so I organized them by genre and created dedicated carts for future use. One cart became home to the remaining Beyond the Book materials, while another held Discover Summer prizes so staff could easily access them throughout the summer. I spent much of the day organizing which was an opportunity to understand a little more about the behind-the-scenes work that goes on, and as someone without the same responsibilities as other staff, I was happy to help make the space usable for everyone.

One of the most meaningful parts of the day actually came from a conversation I had with Fatima and my coworker, Ny’Keem. We talked about the importance of approaching every patron with compassion and recognizing that we often don’t know what someone is going through when they walk into the library. We discussed how many members of the library’s unhoused community have faced incredibly difficult circumstances, including overwhelming medical debt, untreated mental health conditions, or other life events that have left them with very few resources. Hearing their perspectives affirmed me that libraries often serve as much more than places to borrow books—they are safe, welcoming spaces for people who may not have many others to turn to. We also talked about the difficult decisions library staff sometimes have to make when a patron’s behavior disrupts the safety of others. Fatima explained that barring someone from the library is always considered a last resort, but there are times when staff have to balance compassion with their responsibility to maintain a safe environment for everyone. I appreciated hearing such an honest conversation because it highlighted just how complex public librarianship can be. It reinforced for me that being a librarian requires empathy, patience, and good judgment just as much as it requires knowledge of books and information services.

I did not feel totally comfortable taking pictures in the staff area, so pictured above is the view of the library as you approach from the main street. It is a beautiful, historic building atop a hill (aptly named ‘Book Hill’).