"Why would you save me, then?"

"Because you, mouse, can tell Gregory a story. Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light."

--The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Sarah Swan

Greetings Jefferson Junior/Senior Community!

I am so excited to be your Digital Teacher Librarian for the 2023-24 school year! The first and most important thing you should know about me is that I am a Story Seeker, and my perpetual hunt for "that next great tale" has taken me across the globe -- I've set foot on ALL six habitable continents!

Did you happen to notice I didn't say "that next great book?" Isn't that a weird thing for a librarian to say?

No coincidence, there! And please don't mistake me -- I am a total bibliophile (see: book lover), and I easily finish over 100 books every year -- usually no shorter than 500 pages ;-)

But I am a firm believer in the idea that the greatest stories available in the world are contained within the people we meet out there in the world, rather than within the pages of a book. Switching my focus to seeking stories over books has enabled me to justify my passion for everything I encounter -- from technology to art to books to travel, because these are all different ways of accessing and telling stories.

Still unconvinced about whether you might be passionate about stories, too?

Step through the doors of my library and I will change your mind!

What's My "Why?"

I'm obsessed with libraries. They are MAGIC. Gone are the days when libraries were "Shhh!" places filled with dusty books that nobody was allowed to access, and I couldn't be happier that I get to be a part of the movement that is accomplishing that. Literacy, information, and learning is not a privilege, and the fact that libraries have become community spaces that embody the social nature of learning brings me indescribable joy.

If you visit your local library today, you're just as likely to see a child pulling a book down from a shelf as you are to see them learning to record and edit a music track, or 3D printing the body parts of a drone that they will be able to fly from a mobile phone app they programmed themselves.

Libraries are launchpads for learning and sandboxes for creation.

Like I said: magic.

I never know what I'm going to encounter in the library each day, but knowing the next great story is just a few short steps from walking through my doors is what keeps me coming back day after day.