Maria Cotto

Library Student

University of Rhode Island
childrenlibrarian@gmail.com

Background Information

I have seven years of experience at the Public Library, beginning during my senior year in high school. My first job at the library was working as a page (messenger) at the Grinton I. Will Library branch in Yonkers, NY, one of the four branches of the Yonkers Public Library. A few months later, I was promoted to a library clerk; I loved my job. As a clerk, I got the chance to do a little bit of everything. My duties involved shelving, checking in-out items, cataloging magazines, etc. Then, one day my family and I decided to move to Rhode Island.

As soon as I arrived in Rhode Island, I began searching for the public library. In the library, I felt happy and enjoyed going to work. I couldn't wait to be back working at a library. Yet, three years went by before I began working as a clerk at the Providence Public Library. At PPL, I had the opportunity to work at all of the ten branches throughout Providence. Each was different but special in its own way. I enjoyed working with the children the most and observed the librarians while they implemented great programs. Since then, I realized that I wanted to become a children's librarian. I started thinking about obtaining my MLIS; yet, I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision.

In 2005, I obtained a part-time job as a clerk at the Phillips Memorial Library at Providence College. My experience in the academic library made me realize how much I love the public library. It just didn't feel the same in an academic environment. Then, I applied to URI for the GSLIS program. I also applied for the Prism Fellowship and was fortunate to have been giving a full scholarship to obtain my MLIS. This was the most difficult time for me. I had to decide whether to keep my full-time or part-time job. Eventually, I stayed at Providence College as I wanted to concentrate on my studies.

In the fall of 2006, I began my intership at the Cranston Public Library. So far, I feel that I have gained a great deal of experience. The knowledge I have acquired in library school has helped me to work better with patrons. Finally, this is my third semester as a part-time student. I have one more year to go and look forward to the coming year. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience at the library. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI 2004
University of Rhode Island, MLIS and Certificate of Information Literacy Instruction, South Kingston, RI, in progress

Work Experience

• 2006-present Library intern, Cranston Public Library, Cranston, RI
• 2005-present Library clerk, Phillips Memorial Library, Providence, RI
• 2002-2006 Library clerk, Providence Public Library, Providence, RI
• 2000-2001 Teacher’s aide, Silver Lake Community Center, Providence, RI
• 2000-2000 Teacher’s assistant, Lad N’ Lassie Preschool, Cranston,RI
• 1996-1998 Library clerk, Grinton I. Will Library, Yonkers, NY

Internship Experience

Currently, I am doing my internship at two branches of the Craston Public Library. I work at the Central Library and William H. Hall Library. My duties involve assisting patrons with reference questions, shelving, shelf reading, signing patrons for programs and other task that may need to be done. In addition, I will be implementing two bilingual story hour for both preschoolers and older children. This past spring I had the chance to do a bilingual story hour and the experience was great.

My next challenge was to hold a special event called "El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros" (Children's Day/Book Day) which, was scheduled for April 28, 2007. This was the first time that this event was held at the Cranston Public Library. It was an honor for me to have been given the opportunity to do this special program. I had a wonderful time doing this event. We had two special performances, one from a dance group called "Arco Iris" and a karate demonstration from the International Karate School in Providence. Then, I shared some bilingual stories with the children. In the end, we had a free-for-all which included face painting, making book marks,giving out free books, animal balloons, snack and the breaking of two piñatas. I am very thankful to those who helped me make this event possible.In total, we had 80 people attend the event. Here is a link to the pictures that were taking that day by Stefanie Blankenship (also a Prism Scholar) photos of the event and press coverage from Providence en Español and Siglo 21.


Professional Development

• Spanish Book Club Committee, 2005 to present (Providence Public Library)
• Cornucopia of Rhode Island, 2005 to present (University of Rhode Island)
• OLIS Spanish outreach workshop
• Latina Leadership Institute of Rhode Island (Graduated June 2005)
• ALA Annual Conference (June 2006)
• First Joint Conference of Librarian of Colors (October 2006)
• HELIN Annual Conference (January 2007)
• American Library Association (ALA) member 2006-present
• Reforma: the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking member 2006-present
• Rhode Island Library Association Annual Conference (June 2007)