Haleigh's Practicum Diary

Date: 7/2/26

Time Worked: 8:30am-5:00pm (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 my final day as a graduate practicum student at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. It was bittersweet to wrap up an experience that has taught me so much over the past several weeks. I had the opportunity to work alongside an incredibly welcoming and supportive staff who were always willing to answer my questions, explain their processes, and trust me with meaningful responsibilities. Looking back on the practicum, I am grateful for everything I was able to experience, from leading programs and storytimes to working on collection management, creating displays, and interacting with patrons of all ages. This placement strengthened my confidence as a future children’s librarian and reaffirmed that public librarianship is the career path I want to pursue. While I was sad to say goodbye, I left feeling excited for what comes next in my professional journey (although I do have one more school year lined up as a preschool teacher).

One of the highlights of my final day was completing my Disability Pride Month display for the children’s area. Although creating a display may seem like a straightforward task, I quickly learned that it requires thoughtful planning and preparation. I researched titles that represented a variety of disabilities and perspectives, ensured the books were available, and created accompanying signage and display materials. Some of the featured titles included A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond, a picture book that follows a nonverbal autistic boy as he communicates with his family and experiences the world around him. I also included Fighting for YES!: The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Judith Heumann and Maryann Cocca-Leffler, a nonfiction picture book that introduces young readers to the life and advocacy of one of the most influential leaders of the disability rights movement. Another featured title was Wednesday and Woof #1: Catastrophe by Sherri Winston, a mystery novel about a young detective who solves neighborhood cases with the help of her service dog. To broaden the display, I also included two Braille books alongside the Activity Kit provided by the DC Public Library’s Center for Accessibility, helping showcase accessible library materials in addition to stories featuring disabled characters. As I selected materials, I intentionally balanced fiction and nonfiction, picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels while ensuring representation of different genders and a wide range of disabilities. Before leaving, I made a point to thank each member of the staff for making my practicum such a positive experience. I felt incredibly fortunate to complete my internship in such a welcoming environment, and I even returned the following Sunday with cookies as a small gesture of appreciation for everyone who had supported me throughout my practicum.

Pictured above is the finished display that I created to usher in July, which happened to be Disability Pride Month to celebrate the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act! I am happy with how it turned out and I hope patrons are as well.