Job Well Done: Erik Larsen

Librarian II Erik Larsen received a Job Well Done Award, March 1, 2017, for reaching all of NW customers with his contribution of his Read 66 daily reading.  And In the spirit of this year’s mission, “Everyone serves youth!”, Erik took this opportunity to go big. Instead of the typical reading that takes place in the corner of the children’s department (with an average of 5-10 listeners), he read a long poem, T S Eliot’s “Skimbleshanks: the Railway Cat,” over the intercom, reaching 60+ customers. It is a challenge to get people’s attention to listen to a Read 66 performance and Erik was able to lighten the mood of everyone who heard it. People in the circ line were smiling and teens stopped playing video games long enough to enjoy the full performance. This was by far our biggest Read 66 reading and it was a game changer in that we will probably continue to do our Read 66 performances. It was refreshing to see Erik go outside his comfort zone to deliver a wonderful reading of a classic poem, making everyone's day a bit brighter. Anthony Baltiero, who nominated Erik, said, "Coming from a children’s librarian that reads out loud to children on a daily basis, Erik did a fantastic job. Bravo!"