Meet Josh Jubinsky, Library Associate in the Main Library Children’s Department, who was recently featured in a Florida Times-Union article about his music programming (http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111508/ner_355725118.shtml). Josh provides free guitar lessons to children and incorporates music in his storytime programs. Josh shares programming ideas on his blog, Library Storytime, A Resource for Youth Service Librarians, http://librarystorytime.wordpress.com/.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: Ormond Beach, Florida.
Q: What is your educational background?
A: I was in the International Baccalaureate program in high school; my special topic was music. I earned a BA in English, with a Film Studies minor at UNF.
Q: How did you get interested in children’s work?
A: When I first got a job at the library. I started at Willowbranch, and after being there five or six months, the new Library Associate position was opening up for the first time. I took that position and have been in the Main Library Children’s Department ever since.
Q: What is your philosophy of children’s programming?
A: If your programs are interesting to the kids, that’s great. If they are interesting to you and the kids, that is better. The kids can tell if you’re interested or if you don’t really care. And you can tell – if it is not interesting, you’ll get bored and frustrated very quickly.
Programs that are interesting to the kids, yourself, and the parents are the best. The parents need to understand the value of what you are doing. Explaining the ‘what we do; why we do’ should be incorporated into things like story times. Parents also need to enjoy the programs. The value is apparent in continuous programs like guitar lessons.
Programming is a very important part of library service. Of all the great things we offer, programming is the first thing to become stagnant. We’ve all been at a place where we’ve done the same program over and over because it’s easy and worked well enough. And it gets us by in our jobs so boringly. Programming should be the most exciting part of your job. It’s certainly the easiest part to invigorate. Find something you love or interests you and find a community need. Share what you know and fill that community need. Libraries can be so much more in this way.
Q: What gave you the idea for offering guitar lessons?
A: The guitar lesson programs are my answer to the continuing budget cuts in our local schools. It was also something I could teach and something empowering the kids can do. It’s not just a matter of schools having fewer or no music programs – it’s a matter of creativity and expression, a matter of fighting apathy.
It’s also a financial solution that these times need to see more of. Guitar lessons for children can be an expensive undertaking. A library’s role, as I’ve always seen it, is as a place that levels the playing field and gives everyone a fair chance. With few music education programs in elementary schools and fewer parents able to afford music lessons, something as simple as guitar lessons at your local library is a reasonable and important alternative.
Q: What do you see as the purpose of your blog?
A: The purpose of the blog is the same as a large purpose of my job, to help create innovative, educational, useful and fun programs at the library. Its function is to do this not only within my branch or the JPL system, but to at least share this information with anyone doing children’s programming at any library. System-wide changes to make programming more interesting and fun for everyone is my number one priority.
On that note, I recently started a series of guitar lessons for Children’s staff that usually facilitate children’s programming. The class trains people on how to play the guitar and use it in a story time setting. Hopefully, with this class, some of the programming ideas and techniques I’ve been successfully using can start being implemented at other JPL branches.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of doing children’s work at JPL?
A. The fun atmosphere, coupled with knowing you are making a difference in the community.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: Ormond Beach, Florida.
Q: What is your educational background?
A: I was in the International Baccalaureate program in high school; my special topic was music. I earned a BA in English, with a Film Studies minor at UNF.
Q: How did you get interested in children’s work?
A: When I first got a job at the library. I started at Willowbranch, and after being there five or six months, the new Library Associate position was opening up for the first time. I took that position and have been in the Main Library Children’s Department ever since.
Q: What is your philosophy of children’s programming?
A: If your programs are interesting to the kids, that’s great. If they are interesting to you and the kids, that is better. The kids can tell if you’re interested or if you don’t really care. And you can tell – if it is not interesting, you’ll get bored and frustrated very quickly.
Programs that are interesting to the kids, yourself, and the parents are the best. The parents need to understand the value of what you are doing. Explaining the ‘what we do; why we do’ should be incorporated into things like story times. Parents also need to enjoy the programs. The value is apparent in continuous programs like guitar lessons.
Programming is a very important part of library service. Of all the great things we offer, programming is the first thing to become stagnant. We’ve all been at a place where we’ve done the same program over and over because it’s easy and worked well enough. And it gets us by in our jobs so boringly. Programming should be the most exciting part of your job. It’s certainly the easiest part to invigorate. Find something you love or interests you and find a community need. Share what you know and fill that community need. Libraries can be so much more in this way.
Q: What gave you the idea for offering guitar lessons?
A: The guitar lesson programs are my answer to the continuing budget cuts in our local schools. It was also something I could teach and something empowering the kids can do. It’s not just a matter of schools having fewer or no music programs – it’s a matter of creativity and expression, a matter of fighting apathy.
It’s also a financial solution that these times need to see more of. Guitar lessons for children can be an expensive undertaking. A library’s role, as I’ve always seen it, is as a place that levels the playing field and gives everyone a fair chance. With few music education programs in elementary schools and fewer parents able to afford music lessons, something as simple as guitar lessons at your local library is a reasonable and important alternative.
Q: What do you see as the purpose of your blog?
A: The purpose of the blog is the same as a large purpose of my job, to help create innovative, educational, useful and fun programs at the library. Its function is to do this not only within my branch or the JPL system, but to at least share this information with anyone doing children’s programming at any library. System-wide changes to make programming more interesting and fun for everyone is my number one priority.
On that note, I recently started a series of guitar lessons for Children’s staff that usually facilitate children’s programming. The class trains people on how to play the guitar and use it in a story time setting. Hopefully, with this class, some of the programming ideas and techniques I’ve been successfully using can start being implemented at other JPL branches.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of doing children’s work at JPL?
A. The fun atmosphere, coupled with knowing you are making a difference in the community.
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