I am a youth services librarian at the San Rafael Public Library, located about 20 miles north of San Francisco in central Marin County.We are a small system, composed of our main downtown library and a small branch. I am fortunate to be one of three children’s librarians in our department, which serves youth aged birth through 8th grade. My main areas of focus at are collections, services, outreach, and programs for middle school aged youth and technology for children and tweens. I also select our board book collection, do a weekly storytime for babies and toddlers, and have a special interest in early learning and literacy. In addition to these areas of emphasis, I enjoy serving youth of all ages and providing them with the excellent reference and readers’ advisory assistance that they deserve.

I graduated from San Jose State SLIS in December of 2009. While in library school, I completed two internships: one with the San Francisco Public Library at their Juvenile Justice Center Library, the other in the children’s room of the Castro Valley branch of the Alameda County Library. I worked as a paraprofessional and on-call librarian at the Marin City branch of the Marin County Free Library for four years before finding my current position.

The Institute appeals to me because I aspire to a leadership position within my profession, and specifically within library service to youth. It also appeals to me because it is an immersive experience; more than a training or workshop, different than a conference, it is an experience that I expect to be a turning point for me in my professional development. I hope to leave the institute with skills and experiences that will help me be a successful supervisor, advocate, teacher, and mentor. I am also looking forward to meeting my fellow 2012 Eurekans and making friendships and lasting connections.

I live in San Francisco, in a wonderful neighborhood called Bernal Heights, with my partner of seven years. I love spending time with friends and family, reading (of course), cooking, going out to eat, having picnics, swimming, disc golfing, going on bike rides, and hiking. I love travelling and try to do it as much as possible.