‘An opportunity creator’
New Batesville librarian says ‘teen space is about making connections’
At an early age, Sloane Simmons discovered her passion. “I can remember my dad reading the newspaper every morning and my mom reading in the evenings when I went in to say goodnight,” she said, so she grew up in a house of bibliophiles.
When she was a little girl, her parents spent a lot of time reading to her, so even before she went to kindergarten, she could recognize several words, so it may be no surprise that Simmons became a librarian and is now writing her next chapter after recently being hired as the new teen librarian at the Independence County Library in Batesville.
Simmons graduated from Valley View High School in Jonesboro and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in English (secondary school level) from Arkansas State University, but her first job wasn’t at a library.
“I worked for Walt Disney World right out of college,” she said. “I walked across the stage with my diploma and flew across the country two weeks later.
After a stint at Disney, she went to work in the youth services department at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library for 4 1/2 years.
“I read no less than 30 books a year,” she said. “Sometimes, I will go days or weeks without reading for pleasure. I’ll simply be too
busy with general life, or maybe I’m bingeing a BBC series, or I have finished a novel that was so good I’m not ready to move on. I call these ‘droughts.’ If you think you are too busy or aren’t a reader, you could just be in a drought.”
Simmons said her all-time favorite book is “1984,” by George Orwell.
“It is a rich piece. I read it in high school, and again in college as assigned reading, and enjoyed it even as a requirement.
“I am a cross-genre reader, so I can make and take recommendations for and from anyone. Within the past couple of years, I have developed both an appreciation and enjoyment for nonfiction — which I thought would never happen. Our tastes evolve; it’s important not to rule out a book because it’s not in your comfort zone.”
And Simmons said she is excited to be fostering those relationships in Batesville.
“Being from Jonesboro, I enjoyed day-tripping to eat and shop on Main Street [in Batesville],” she said. “When the library relocated to the current location, I came in and looked around and thought, ‘Someday, I want to be here every day.’
“When I met my now fiance, Thomas Lott [of Batesville], I knew I could happily relocate to Batesville and, fingers crossed, work at the library.”
The two became engaged last December, and Simmons had the opportunity to meet with Vanessa Adams, the Independence County Library director, in April and was soon hired.
As teen librarian, Simmons said, her role is more than just steering patrons to the newest releases, and she sees herself “as an opportunity creator, specifically for young adults.”
Adams agreed that the teen space is about making connections, and perhaps the youth can make new friends.
“Since we’ve given them a place to [gather], we hope it will build their confidence. We really want to make a difference,” she said.
Libraries aren’t just for readers, Simmons said.
“I have a lot of kiddos who come in that don’t read because we have the Xboxes; we have the board games,” she said, with more games being added all the time. “[Recently], I had a group of nine who were here for 2 1/2 hours. They played video games, then board games, and then they ended up over there making collages at the table, and they just did it themselves. I just gave them lemonade and Tang, and they entertained themselves, and they moved from electronics to collages, so it was pretty cool. They were all going into the 11th grade, except one, and he was going into 10th grade.”
There are changes she would like to make at the library, she said, but because of COVID-19, she may have to “rein it back in.”
Simmons said she will continue the after-school refreshments from 3-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but she hopes to start something for the teens called Mindful Mondays in the near future, which will include activities such as meditation, yoga, coloring, journaling, working puzzles and more.
Adams also said the library has received a grant to buy two new computers so teenagers can come to the library to do their homework, if they wish.
Simmons said she has also started a partnership with the Northeast Arkansas Gamers Guild, which will be at the Batesville library from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the fourth Saturday of every month, starting Sept. 25, to play board games, with the winner taking home the board game he or she has won. The games are open to all ages.
“Board games are cool; they’re popular again,” Simmons said. “They’re coming into their own, and there are some weird ones, and people love them. I think the pandemic did help with that, with people staying home. And now people have the opportunity to win some games and add them to their collections at home.”
Adams said Independence County had previously employed a teen librarian, but when that person had left before the pandemic, the position had not been filled for more than a year. She said the library needed someone who could reach teens and make sure they had a safe place to go in the afternoons.
Adams also said the library staff hopes to expand the offerings and will be getting input from the target audience.
“We want to do what they want us to do and make them feel safe … feel at home,” she said.
I am a cross-genre reader, so I can make and take recommendations for and from anyone. Within the past couple of years, I have developed both an appreciation and enjoyment for nonfiction — which I thought would never happen. Our tastes evolve; it’s important not to rule out a book because it’s not in your comfort zone.” Sloane Simmons
NEW TEEN LIBRARIAN AT THE INDEPENDENCE COUNTY LIBRARY IN BATESVILLE