Scholarship Essay Entry – Robert M.

I began my first job in a public library when I was fourteen. It was a part time job at the Woodcroft Branch of the Edmonton Public Library system.  Like many fourteen year olds, I applied for the job in order to earn spending money and gain a sense of independence. I was also drawn to the library because it seemed to be a more suitable environment to my personality than the other jobs available to a fourteen year old. The aspect of public service and the egalitarian distribution of resources and information appealed to me as well.

My main responsibility in this position was to shelve the books that were returned. This led to me spending the majority of my time out amongst the books and the patrons that the library served. Coming from a stable, suburban family, seeing homeless people sleeping in the library during periods of extreme weather and hearing kids my age speak about troublesome home lives and living in youth shelters left an indelible impression on me. As I have continued to work in libraries, I have learned that many social problems are not are usually created in libraries but it is in libraries that these problems are manifested and it is the responsibility of libraries around the globe to meet the needs of their patrons, regardless of the individual struggles their patrons face. When libraries are working to their full potential, they are places of learning, safety, security, care and belonging.

I began the job at Woodcroft Library a month after beginning high school. Exactly midway through the eleventh grade I began another page position at St. Albert Public Library, due to a heavier academic schedule and evolving social life.  I continued this job right up until I began attending classes in Camrose at the University Of Alberta, Augustana Campus, majoring in English. While at St. Albert Public, I was exposed to other service departments in libraries such as Children’s Services and Bibliography. After completing a year of studies in Camrose, I have returned to St. Albert Public Library, working as a part of the summer reading program. This program strives to encourage lifelong literacy by providing a fun and engaging way for children to continue reading during the summer months.

I intend to complete my Bachelor Of Arts degree within the next three years and gain an understanding of the importance of literature in society, literature itself and develop my writing skills, all of which I hope to put to use in a career in public libraries. Once I have earned my Bachelor of Arts I plan to enrol in a Masters of Library and Information Science program. Once I have earned my degree, I intend to dedicate myself to serving the public and increasing library patronage among persons of lower socio-economic standing, immigrants and those suffering from issues such as drug abuse, homelessness and illiteracy in my own community.