Why I’m a librarian- Twila DeGroot

         This piece was written by Twila DeGroot, children’s programmer at the Sioux Center Public Library.

I was recently asked to answer the question, “Why are you a librarian?” Such a simple question—surely the answer is simple as well. But so much of what—and who—we are is complicated by how our present is bound up in the experiences (and people) of our past. How can we explain who we are without explaining how we got here?

            I own an inheritance of love for stories from my mother and grandmother. As a young child, the mail coming each day was a time of great anticipation and potential joy. My grandmother, who spent most of my childhood living in faraway New Zealand, sent her grandmotherly love across the miles in the form of books: Beatrix Potter, Black Beauty, a beautifully illustrated copy of Beauty and the Beast.  My mother gladly read these stories to us, along with her treasure trove of Little Golden books. When her days of reading to her children passed, it was no surprise that she became a librarian, passing the love of the written word on to a broader public.

            On September 5, 1969, the “new” Sioux Center Public Library on First Avenue Southeast was dedicated. I was 3 years old at the time. I must have been one of the first groups of children to attend Story Time in the new library. In my memory, I can still picture the children’s librarian Dorothy Boeyink’s sweet face. Grayed brown hair frames her kind face. Her eyes glitter with excitement, and the small beginnings of a smile invite me in, building anticipation. In her hands is a book. She holds it with care, with respect, with love, even. I know that the book is important. I also know that I am important – and loved – because she has chosen to share this special book with me and the other children with me. We wait with expectation. And then (sigh) she begins to read. Her voice is strong and pleasant and full of inflection: a sweet melody to my ears. The librarian brings the story to life for us – magic and love all bound together in one sweet moment.

            While I don’t recall thinking, “I want to do that when I grow up” (that thought would have been incomprehensible in my little child’s brain), I believe the joy of those early Story Times planted a seed of desire deep inside my heart.  That seed may have continued to germinate and grow over the years of my childhood spent in the sun-dappled walls of that lovely library with the big fireplace, comfy couches, and kind librarians who went quietly about their duties as guardians and benefactors of the treasures entrusted to them.

The librarians protected the books I loved and freely lent them to me, allowing me an oasis where I could escape from the ordinary and adventure into other worlds and experiences beyond my own.

            When I became a mother, I was delighted to share the written world of stories with my children. The librarian of my children’s world was a source of joy to all of us. Jan Van Soelen always welcomed us into our small-town library with a mile-wide smile, so full of genuine warmth that it could be felt in every corner of the building. Trips to the library were a highlight of our week. Some of the fondest memories of raising my children include library events, with the ever-present kindness and encouragement of Jan and the other librarians, all cut from the same cloth. It was a place of safety, love, and fun for me and my children. The seeds of my desire to become a children’s librarian, planted by Dorothy Boeyink, germinated as I watched how Jan interacted with the people of her community, encouraging a love of reading through her servant-hearted service to everyone she encountered.

            The written word is a gift from our Creator, given from His great love for us. That gift of love has been passed down to me through these remarkable women – librarians, and lovers of the written word. I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to pass the gift – the magic and the love – on to a new generation. That is why I am a librarian.