CARIBOU, Maine — It’s Katherine Marie Wilcox-Bosse’s second week as the Caribou Public Library’s youth librarian, but she’s known since childhood the importance of the job.
Back when she spent her summer days amidst the book aisles as a kid herself, she often saw recently retired Jean Shaw who served as the children’s librarian.
“That was one of my first glimpses into enjoying the library and thinking ‘I could work here some day,’” Wilcox-Bosse outlined.
The new youth librarian first started an internship at the library in January of 2013, which she followed by volunteering her time before obtaining a part-time position.
“I pretty much started from the bottom up,” she said with a smile.
Wilcox-Bosse is keeping the popular programs for babies and toddlers, but she’s looking to bring teen programs back to the library as well.
“We’re all about the youth and the children because they’re our next generation of patrons and we need to make sure that they’re getting the resources they need while enjoying the environment,” Wilcox-Bosse said, highlighting the new tablets the library obtained. Two of the new technology pieces are just for children up to ages 10 or 11, being special devices that can’t accidentally access the Internet called Nabi Tablets.
Wilcox-Bosse enjoys working with young people and children, and bringing new technology to the library for them is something she feels strongly about — along with increasing and developing programs for youths to enjoy.
Last week, the library had a string orchestra visit for some music and this week, the felines and volunteers of the Halfway Home Pet Rescue stopped in for a presentation.
“People are really enjoying the different things we’ve been bringing here,” Wilcox-Bosse commented.
She’s looking forward to keeping the library as a place where people can bring their children to enjoy literary and technological resources while participating in popular programs, and she hopes the public has an opportunity to enjoy the positive changes occurring at the Caribou Public Library.
“I hope our town can be more supportive of our facility and how we educate people — even through our e-resources on the website,” the new youth librarian said. “We have a lot to offer, it’s really just coming and taking a look.”
