Amanda is a children’s librarian at the Honan-Allston Branch of the Boston Public Library. A current project she is working on involves collaborating with a community organization in Allston-Brighton to introduce Latino families to the library and to teach Spanish-speaking parents how to use the library with their children. “Interacting with families, schools, and organizations in Allston and feeling that I make a difference in the community is the best part of my job,” she says. A member of the Forever Young Adult book club, Amanda enjoys young adult fiction and likes to cook in her spare time.

Steven is the digital repository developer at the Central Library in Copley Square and is currently working on building a system to digitize collections, historical items, and old books, which will then be readily available to the public. He believes libraries hold great significance: “Libraries exist to spread knowledge, preserve information, and ensure a public safe place exists that one can learn within.”  Steven’s favorite book series is the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson and he plays tennis and develops video games in his spare time.

Emily is a children’s librarian at the Uphams Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library and enjoys seeing her relationships with the children users grow every day. She is currently working on strengthening partnerships with various organizations in and near the Uphams Corner neighborhood. “I think libraries are important because they are often the only free community space open and accessible to everyone.” Emily enjoys reading realistic adult fiction and plays year-round soccer with the Purple Ninjas team in her free time.

Manny is a web services specialist at the Central Library in Copley Square and enjoys seeing such a diverse range of interests all represented within one building. Manny is currently helping the web team build the BPL’s new internal website. “Besides allowing for self-directed education, libraries also play a major role in facilitating creativity, and cohesion in the community.” In his free time, Manny likes to read books which propose solutions to the most pressing problems the world currently faces, gardening, and free running.

Meg is the exhibitions and outreach associate at the Central Library in Copley Square and enjoys being in a place where many different people are working in varied roles for a unified cause: the advancement of learning. Currently, Meg’s department is in a visioning phase to plan exhibitions in the coming years. “I’m amazed at how many pieces the BPL has. We will ultimately need to choose from what we discover in order to craft the exhibition narrative and tell an interesting story.” In her free time, Meg enjoys modern British literature and landscape painting onsite.