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04/20/2022 08:30 AMIt’s not unusual to see libraries have children’s and adult librarians on staff to serve the different needs of the two age groups. But what about the kids in-between? Luckily for Old Saybrook residents, the Acton Public Library has a person dedicated serving that group in Young Adult Librarian Brian Story.
While many libraries don’t have a position specifically dedicated to young adults, Brian says it’s becoming more and more popular.
“It’s definitely a trend moving forward. It’s a growing thing to appeal to those tweens and teens and keep them connected to the library,” Brian explains.
“I really liked the idea, and it’s a critical time to meet them at this level especially when they’re learning information literacy and they’re such a sponge for knowledge,” Brian says. “If you want to stay young, you’ve got to work with the young,” Brian adds with a laugh.
Brian has worked in the role at Acton since August 2019.
As part of his job, Brian is responsible developing the book collection and making sure the library is filled with the new books and series that kids are interested in, developing programming events, running game nights, and taking suggestions from the Teen Advisory Board on the sorts of things the kids would like to see at the library. Brian also pitches in with reference queries from adults and assist with technology issues from adults who need help.
So far Brian says there are several events that the library runs for the age group. One is an open mic night where kids can come and play music or read poetry. Another is a game day where kids can play table top games like Dungeons and Dragons. Additionally, kids have used the library as a place to fulfill their service requirements, Brian says.
“We’ve had kids come in and help with our bake sales and things like that,” he says,
There are also new programs on the horizon that Brian is eager to kick off.
“We’re trying to connect with other libraries in the area and create an e-gaming league and maybe have people compete for the different libraries,” explains Brian.
In June, the library will host musicians to celebrate Make Music Day, an international day for people to play music all across the world. The celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21 and interested performers can email Brian at bstory@actonlibrary.org.
Another upcoming event is the summer reading programming kick off on Saturday, June 25.
“We’re going to have an outdoor field day and games and hopefully an ice cream truck. It’ll be a lot of fun,” Brian says.
Prior to working in Old Saybrook, Brian had experience doing a wide variety of jobs both in and out of the library world. Brian says he’s owned a card shop, worked in restaurants, painted houses, and studied advertising as an undergraduate.
“It was an interesting way, despite my last name, to get into working in libraries,” Brian says with a laugh. “It’s an eclectic background, but I think it helps to meet people where they are when you’re trying to connect with them. I definitely still see skills from other jobs helping me in my endeavors today.”
Eventually, Brian found himself interested in working in libraries where he worked in academic libraries and business libraries before coming to Old Saybrook.
“I wanted to get back into the public service side of things,” says Brian.
As for his favorite part of his job, Brian says, “I work in a fantastic library in a great community with people who love what they do.”
Brian says he also appreciates the partnership the library has with town officials and stakeholders, especially as the library looks to undergo eventual upgrades.
“I’m excited to shepherd the young adult programing through that and create new space for programming,” Brian says.
For all the positives, that’s not to say there aren’t challenges in the role.
Given the wide scope of teen interests, Brian notes,”It’s hard to reach them all while we’re here, since a lot of them are engaged elsewhere.”
Brian grew up on Long Island and moved to the Connecticut shoreline in August 2019. Brian says he and his wife were interested in finding a new home with good schools that reminded them of the shoreline where they grew up, a far cry from where the family had been living in Syracuse where Brian jokes “they measure snow in feet instead of inches up there.”
In his spare time Brian can be found spending time with his family as well or staying busy hiking, playing volleyball, or playing music.
While the pandemic has impacted how often he is able to meet new people, Brian has enjoyed his two and a half years in Old Saybrook.
“It has a culture that tries to hold on to simple elegant things. Kindness and beauty are reflected in a lot of things people do in town and I’ve liked getting to know all the people I’ve met so far,” he says. “I’m looking forward to becoming a known entity and growing with the library.”