By Dyuthi Reddy
Hillsborough Middle School Student
In a library, there are many books and features that help visitors. But librarians help us even more and make the experience more enjoyable. Christine Jansen, the librarian in charge of teen stacks at the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey’s (SCLSNJ) Hillsborough Library branch, not only works as a librarian, but she visits schools in Hillsborough and performs outreach in them as well.
This outreach begins at the start of each new school year. Jansen explains, “I have a table in the commons, at the back to school nights, promoting book lists, teen volunteering opportunities, and upcoming programs at the library.”
She has also done a realistic fiction and a sci-fi/fantasy book talk with Ms. Simons’s classes, where she presented a curated collection of books she had put together in each genre. Lastly, near the end of each school year, she visits during the lunch periods to promote the summer reading challenge and summer teen volunteering opportunities at the Hillsborough Library branch.
For example, she has provided eBook training to several middle school literacy classes.
Jansen explains, “I demonstrated how to use Overdrive on Chromebooks and the Libby app on smartphones. This allows students to check out and read eBooks and eAudio books on their devices with their SCLSNJ library card. We were also there in January, during the lunch periods, to help the seventh graders who couldn’t access their Overdrive accounts, because they lost or forgot their barcode and PIN from their sixth grade eBook training.”
Jansen has also presented book talks about different genres of literature, such as realistic fiction, science fiction and fantasy. She also visits Auten Road Intermediate School (ARIS) to introduce the summer reading challenge to fifth and sixth graders. In addition, she occasionally assists the Youth Services Department Supervisor, Jessica Bauer, with working with ARIS literacy classes to provide them eBook training and their very own library card.
As a librarian, she works extremely hard and pursues her occupation with passion. This passion started ever since she was in elementary school. Jansen claims to have a long history of loving libraries. During an interview when she was asked, “What made you pursue your job and take it very seriously?” she replied saying, “When I was in elementary school I had really bad seasonal allergies, so in the spring, I would spend recess in the library. The librarian let me help her with small tasks around the library, and I loved doing them.”
When she graduated to high school, she had a work-study period in the school library, where she enjoyed checking books in and out for students among other library related tasks. After high school, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University. She then spent several years as a graphic designer at a marketing agency.
But this wasn’t something Jansen had a passion for although she could do it. Then a spark of hope appeared. Jansen states, “At one Thanksgiving weekend, my Aunt Carole, who was a banker turned school library media specialist, said I should think about becoming a librarian and went on to tell me all the reasons she loved doing it.”
After giving it much thought, she decided to change careers. After about 2 1/2 years of working while also going to school at the same time for her masters at Rutgers University, she graduated and became a librarian.
She claims, “I absolutely love what I do and am very passionate about it.”
Supernatural horror, magical realism and thrillers are her three favorite young adult genres to read. Her top three favorite young adult books are “The Raven Boys” by Maggie Stiefvater, “Caraval” by Stephanie Garber, and “The Hazel Wood” by Melissa Albert.
Lastly, she loves everything about her job and enjoys every bit of it: “I, of course, love reading, discussing, and recommending books,” she said. “I love planning and presenting programs for teens and tweens that are fun, relevant and provide skills that help them become successful emerging adults and life-long learners.”
She also loves mentoring teen volunteers and interns at the library. The Hillsborough Public Library has about 50-100 teens, from grades 8-12, volunteering monthly during the school year and the summer.
Lastly, she loves visiting the schools for outreach which includes book talks, eBook training, and promoting the summer reading challenge. Whether at the Hillsborough Library branch or visiting a local school, Christine Jansen reaches out and helps many others benefit from library programs, book recommendations and more.
She also has a very flexible schedule where she is hard at work, while also makes the time to hold programs on weekday evenings and weekends.
Ms. Jansen works hard, does outreach all around Hillsborough and has lots of the most essential feature in a librarian. Passion.
