As part of my internship at East Carolina University, I decided to intern with the Wendell Community Library for 16 hours. My goal was to get a glimpse at how a public library differs from a school library, especially since I have spent the majority of my career in public schools. I have volunteered at public libraries before, including participating in a program at food sites last summer. The Summer Nutrition Program is hosted by Wake County and provides food for kids and teens in low-income areas when schools are not in session. Last year, as part of of their Every Reader Ready to Succeed program, Wake County Public Libraries (WCPL) provided activities and books at three sites. I volunteered throughout the summer, facilitating activities, helping children pick out free books, and providing positive interactions and advocacy for the library.

The internship gave me an opportunity to work more closely with the librarians and staff at the Wendell Community Library. I was exposed to valuable ideas and experiences, such as learning the WCPL philosophy on shelving and facing books, how the floating collection works, how responsibilities are divided for efficiency, and how they prepare for programming. I worked with the Youth Services Librarian, Grace, to create felt figures for upcoming story times, and I observed an ABC Craft and Learn session to see how the Library Assistant interacted with the children. WCPL have strict guidelines to ensure that patrons' experiences are consistent across libraries, and watching those policies in action reinforced how important written policies are.

The internship allowed me opportunities to network and strengthen ties with the Wendell Community Library staff. They have assisted us in putting together a public library card drive for our freshmen in the fall, and we will be doing another during Literacy Week for all our students. I learned that several of the staff members are currently students in master's programs for library science (MLS), and I extended an offer to help in any way I can throughout their course work. Through the MLS program at ECU, I have developed an appreciation for networking and collaborating to complete assignments and to brainstorm solutions in the real world. I am glad I was able to develop relationships with the librarians and staff at the Wendell branch, and I fully plan to maintain those moving forward.