The Inside View: Intern Mixes Children and Technology

Preface By Leslie Todd, Head of Youth Services, Haverhill Public Library This fall the Children's Department of Haverhill Public Library had the opportunity to work with an intern. The internship was a bit different from internships at other libraries. I had a specific task and focus in mind. I met with Susan Babb and we talked about what I was looking for in an intern. After school the Children's Department is inundated with kids who want to use the computers for fun or work. Many of these children are lacking in the necessary skills to write up their reports, do research, or find the fun game they played yesterday. I was looking for someone who could not only help teach some of these skills but would be interested in creating workshops and guides that the library could use in the future. We found a great fit with Meg Rotondo. Meg is a Computer Science Major at Gordon College and has an interest in working with technology and children. She already had some experience as a student mentor at the Intel Computer Clubhouse in Lawrence. We started out by taking a short survey to find out what kids were interested in learning on the computer as well as what parents would like to see them learn. The information provided us with four topics: Homework Help, Microsoft Word, Internet Safety and Email. An added topic that proved to be popular was making holiday cards using Microsoft Publisher. Meg created a curriculum for each topic geared toward the 8-12 year old age group and refined as she taught each class. She was also available several afternoons a week to help kids on an individual basis. Meg also helped with routine maintenance tasks such as checking and reconnecting broken links on our website, installing and upgrading hardware and software and adding web pages. She also had a hand in selecting children's software according to our collection development policy and helped our IT person ready new computers for the library's Cyber Center. These were just a few of the things Meg accomplished during her internship. When work was slow she also helped with regular library tasks. As with all good things, the internship came to an end. The Children's Department wishes Meg well and hopes she will continue to work with children and technology in or out of the library.

Internship at the Haverhill Public Library
By Meg Rotundo

When I began my internship at the Haverhill Public Library, I thought I knew what was expected of me. I was expected to write and teach a computer literacy curriculum to kids aged about 9-13, plus put in time in the Children's Room answering computer-related questions. What I didn't know was that there were wider-reaching learning opportunities there, just waiting for me to discover them.

Perhaps it seems strange that a student studying in the field of computers would take a semester to work among books, but for me, this internship was a way to rediscover my childhood love of books and libraries and combine it with my newfound passion for technology.

Sometimes my classes failed to draw any kids at all, other times there were almost more students than I could handle. Some of my projects took off in ways I had never expected, while others fell flat, or were scrapped before they began. Some days my job was fun, on others it could be tedious or frustrating, but it was always rewarding.

Some of my favorite times at the library were spent helping the young patrons with research and homework. Working with children is one of the sweetest pleasures in life, and very few Computer Science jobs offer the chance to do so. The enthusiasm the kids showed when they finally found the perfect image for a report online or that exciting science experiment in a book was contagious. I believe that one of the best things we have to offer our children is a sense of joy in learning, a sense of accomplishment and discovery that goes beyond grades and report cards.

The variety of jobs and experiences waiting for me was as varied and exciting as the wonderful kids I had the opportunity to meet and teach. Not only did I produce a series of lessons that the library can reuse, I also installed, maintained and configured computers, created web pages and flyers, answered a reference question or two and participated in that one never-ending chore: re-shelving. Although my time in the Haverhill Library was far from what I expected, I learned and accomplished more than I ever thought possible.

I know that my internship would never have been the enjoyable and educational experience it was without the wonderful people I worked with. It's a rare and wonderful thing to have a job that you really look forward to every morning when you wake up. That I was inspired with this kind of enthusiasm is a testament to the special atmosphere in the Haverhill Children's Department and the amazing librarians and patrons I had the opportunity to work with. I am especially grateful to Susan Babb, who introduced me to the opportunity to work in a library, and Leslie Todd, who patiently guided me through my first awkward few days of work, then encouraged all my efforts with her invaluable advice.