Of all the things I love about being the library director of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, I’m perhaps most grateful for our staff. It’s hard to imagine a more caring and kind group of colleagues. Since long before I joined the team, our staff has earned a reputation in the community for being welcoming, friendly, and unfailingly helpful to the patrons we serve. They’re the reason the library feels like a safe and nurturing place, rather than simply a big building full of books and computers.
We’re a small staff, and hiring new people is fairly uncommon. When we do, it’s important to us that the folks we hire understand this culture and can help us continue to cultivate it. That’s why I’m so delighted to welcome our newest circulation clerk, a longtime library volunteer and rising 11th grader: Aarna Pandey!
We’ve had the privilege of working with Aarna as a teen volunteer for the past two years, and we’re thrilled to welcome her onboard as an official staff member.
Without any further ado, I’ll let Aarna introduce herself in her own words. Please feel free to say hello when you see her staffing the desk.
-Library Director Walker Evans
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When I first started volunteering at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, I was excited to connect with my community in a meaningful way.
I really enjoyed working with youth during children’s and teen programs, as well as helping with other library events. Being president of the Teen Library Council, I learned how to actively represent my community’s voice.
So, when I saw that the library had a posting for a circulation clerk, I was once again interested in working with my community in a more permanent role.
Since I have started working here, I have been happy to be one of the friendly faces that our patrons see when they enter the library.
Planning our first annual Holi event, a Hindu game of color-throwing symbolizing the coming of spring, has given me another opportunity to help contribute to the library’s warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall has always been a strong pillar of the community, and a constant in my life. From visiting the library in my childhood, to checking out books as a teen, this building has remained.
I will always be grateful for the opportunity to work here and be an asset to the library that has done so much for me, and I am very happy to be your new circulation clerk!
