Haleigh's Practicum Diary

Date: 6/24/26

Time Worked: 8:30am-5:30pm (approx. 8.5 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 busy and rewarding day at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. I spent some time continuing to experiment with Canva, becoming more comfortable with the platform and its design tools. Later in the morning, we held toddler storytime sessions at both 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. Before the programs began, I helped Taylor prepare the room by setting up the projector, filling up the bubble machine, disinfecting the shaker eggs, and arranging the chairs for families. The storytimes were extremely well attended, with approximately 100 patrons participating across the two sessions. During the programs, I greeted families as they arrived, checked attendees in, and helped manage the logistics to ensure everything ran smoothly. Seeing such a large turnout reinforced how valuable early literacy programming is to the community and how much preparation is required behind the scenes to create a welcoming environment for families.

After storytime, I completed the PickList and was excited to see that several of the books I had placed on hold for my display had begun to arrive. Later in the afternoon, an unexpected staffing change meant that no one was available to supervise the Teen Fiber Arts Club because an employee had called out sick. I volunteered to step in and facilitate the program, which ended up being one of the highlights of my day. Three preteen participants attended and spent the afternoon painting tote bags while we talked. It did not seem like there would be a large turnout for the program, so I felt I could be flexible with age ranges I let participate. Our conversations covered a variety of topics, and one participant spoke very passionately about their opinions regarding ICE. It reminded me that libraries are spaces where young people often feel comfortable expressing themselves and discussing issues that matter to them. While my role was not to influence the conversation, I recognized the importance of listening respectfully, maintaining a welcoming environment, and ensuring that every participant felt heard and safe. This experience gave me additional confidence in facilitating youth programs and adapting to unexpected situations when the library needed extra support.

Pictured above is a tote bag that one of the children created during fiber arts club. He wrote “ICE OUT,” “Leave us alone”, and “Get Out” on the front and later painted the straps rainbow to celebrate Pride Month. It was the highlight of my day!