To learn more about how Hennepin County works for you, the District 3 team has started a profile series with employees of the county who live in the district. Each month will spotlight a different person from varying departments and occupations.  Find out about the day-to-day aspects of occupational fields and work environments at the county, and how each person’s work affects your life.

Joni Kreuser

Youth Services Librarian
Hennepin County Libraries
St. Louis Park Resident
Celebrating 18 years at Hennepin County

Describe your work.

I am a librarian with a specialty in children's services. I work in four main areas:

• I do reference work, guiding people to books, services and resources in the library and online. Oftentimes, I point to resources people may not know about or may not associate with libraries. I also help people do things like creating and refining a résumé or finding job sites online.

• I do outreach. To get kids excited about reading during the summer, I go to schools and do book talks for third and sixth graders. Those books are kept on display in the library all summer for kids to check out. Studies have shown that reading levels fall off during the summer, so it’s important to encourage kids to keep reading when school isn’t in session. 

• I do collaborative work. For 10 years, I’ve collaborated with St. Louis Park teachers, holding an open house to display their students’ special art projects in the library.

• I do programming for children. The programming largely consists of a variety of book clubs for kids and storytimes for young children and parents.

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What part of your job do you find most challenging?

Staying on top of technology. Technology is ever-changing, and keeping up with the changes and upgrades can be very difficult. The library is a place where people come to access resources online, so I need to make sure I’m in a position to connect people with what they need. Learning new technology can also be a lot of fun, and it provides us with the opportunity to engage with people in more interesting ways.

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What do find most enjoyable?

The programming part of my job. In the summer we do book clubs, and it is a passion for me. I’ve done book clubs for 17 years. The first rule of book clubs is this: It’s fun! At St. Louis Park, we run eight clubs in the summer, with girls and boys each having their own clubs. The interest and participation has been phenomenal: last summer, the 30 spots available for boys entering grade 4-6 filled 10 minutes after opening! In book clubs, children gain social skills and make connections that are important for development, while reading and evaluating literature and participating in fun activities.        

Storytimes are programs for young children and families and are another passion for me. Centered around five activities — Read Write Sing Talk Play  — storytimes are designed to help get children ready to read. In Baby Storytime, adults sit on the floor with their babies (infant-2 years) on their laps, reading the same book and singing songs. Family Storytime is geared for ages 2-5, and in addition to reading and singing, we always do something extra fun, like dancing!

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What should others know about my work?

Being a children’s librarian is incredibly rewarding. It is my job to share a passion for reading so children bring that home. I’ve interacted with kids from baby storytime all the way through high school. It’s great to see children grow up and flourish and know that the work I’ve done has contributed to that. It’s also fun to see kids develop a passion for reading and connect with me and other staff in the library.

Hennepin County Library is a national leader of library service, innovation and excellence. Through 41 locations, a newly redesigned website and outreach services, Hennepin County Library is nourishing minds, transforming lives and building community together with patrons. The Library works to ensure every person has the opportunity and resources to read, graduate, engage, work and learn. For more information, go to: www.hclib.org