Staff Spotlight: Christian Reynoso

#CPLStaffSpotlight | Chapter 7

Meet Christian Reynoso, Branch Manager and Librarian at West Englewood Branch!

What did you study in college, and how did it shape your path to becoming a librarian?

Prior to obtaining my master of library information sciences at Dominican University, I had studied for a bachelor of arts in English Secondary Education at the University of Illinois, which is a fancy way of saying I was studying to teach English at the high school level. Ultimately, I chose not to go that route for a few reasons, and if I’m being honest, I had some growing to do as a person first before working in a more professionally formal setting, but the desire to work with kids and teens in some way remained.

I was a high school drop out, so I wanted to teach high school kids to encourage them to value education as an avenue of future professional success and to offer kids other ways and resources of getting into college if getting a high school diploma wasn’t feasible.

To make a long story short, I ultimately decided on pursuing librarianship as a way to work with children and teens in a way where I am not grading papers but still get to help with schoolwork and provide resources and insight about getting a GED.

How long have you worked at CPL and did you grow up in Chicago?

I grew up in Pilsen not too far from Lozano Branch where I spent time in as a kid; I still miss that tree (wink, if you know you know). There are no words I can say to describe Pilsen that would do it justice, so if you are reading this, make sure to visit Lozano Branch—and feel free to get coffee at Jumping Bean a block away on 18th and Bishop street to try the Choco-Espresso and the Golden Bean. FYI: I wasn’t paid to say that, but if you want to get to know me and sample the Pilsen experience, live as I have and enjoy the coffee along the way. While you are at it, go see the National Museum of Mexican Art; the art is exceptional and offers a cultural window to Mexican culture and the neighborhood itself.

I have been at CPL for over six years now and I am very fortunate to have a job where I can give back to Chicagoans, especially since so many Chicagoans helped me throughout my life. Now, I can help people with their academic and professional needs and aspirations as others have done for me.

What is your favorite part about working at West Englewood branch?

As corny as this sounds, my favorite part is just helping people find employment and resources. I get to help people similarly to the assistance I received after I had dropped out and needed help finding work and information on getting back to school. Many of our patrons come in looking to better their life professionally, academically or both.

Additionally, along the lines of helping people, I also get to do community outreach that allows me to meet like-minded community members who are seeking resources to better help the community at large. I get to help with that in a cool thirdhand information kind of way that lets people know that the library can help with their professional, academic and community needs.

How has your experiences as branch manager been and how do they compare to being a librarian?

I am a relatively new branch manager, so I won’t pretend that there aren’t some things I yet have to learn, but the experience I have had so far has been mostly positive.

As branch manager, the differences are primarily administrative and behind-the-scenes duties. More scheduling, more trainings, more outreach, more staffing related duties, more assigning work to staff and more supervising in general. Much of this I have done in the past in some way or another, but it’s definitely more of the focus of this job. However, there are always opportunities presented for me do programs at the branch whether it’s because of city initiatives or random crowds of kids showing up at the branch. So, while I haven’t done as much programming as before, I still get to do crafting and gaming with kids. I guess once a children's librarian, always a children’s librarian.

When did you know you wanted to become a librarian? 

My desire to become a librarian just kind of happened by ironic chance. I was in the Chicago Police Academy when I decided to give librarianship a shot. After completing my bachelor’s degree, CPD was hiring and I applied. This was a huge coincidence, because it had been CPD's first mass hiring in many years and because my heart was no longer into teaching, I decided to apply. I had a bunch of tests along the way and there was a period where I had to wait almost two years to get into the academy. By then I had thought about going back to school to get a master’s in something, I just didn’t know what. I figured I’d do the academy and decide what I wanted to study afterward. I did the academy primarily because it was a better job than the security job I had at the time.

I had a lot of fun at the academy, but I came to realize that I took my studying at the academy very seriously. However, I wasn’t in love with what I was studying and realized I could be using that studying time for something I actually wanted to study. So, here’s part of that irony I referred to earlier: one day, after work, I was looking up side jobs and master's programs when I typed in “editing jobs” or something into the Google search bar, and I wound up on the American Library Association website. Afterward, I thought to myself why not work with kids in a library setting?, so I researched more and decided to give librarianship a try. So, I left the academy to finish a master’s faster, graduated two years later and I’ve been working in libraries for about 13 years now. If I hadn’t gone to the academy, I probably would have never been a librarian.

You've been a teens and children’s librarian, how have you been able to adapt to both audiences and what has it taught you?

I feel like I have adapted overall. Initially, there was some definite failure in changing mindsets because I’d worked with younger kids more than teens, but I picked up a few things here and there that helped me. Children and teens are very different and can have different needs, but what I have noticed overall is that the older the kids get the less help and supervision they need. With teens and tweens, they like to be alone with each other and they are willing to do programs with you if it requires less oversight and direction. They are more likely to just tinker with something and then ask you for direction if a question or issue arises. Programs with teens tend to be more conversational in nature, especially if you are willing to participate and be open, and I would recommend on working on social skills along with those professional skills. Learn about teen interests; you don’t have to be perfect, just versed enough in it to have a conversation with them and they can open up to you. I know Zenitsu loves Nezuko (characters from the anime series Demon Slayer) without ever having watched an episode of the show or read the manga. For teens and tweens, things that have worked for me have been clothing decorating related programs and karaoke events. All I need to do is talk about the basic ways to use the Cricut or heat press and then help them out and talk to them as they bedazzle their threads. In Karaoke, singing with them helps because, it shows that you are aren’t dull—and who doesn‘t like to sing anyway?

Younger children obviously require more help because they are learning how to do things that can be as simple as learning to fold or cut paper, so more affirmation and direction is needed.

How long have you been part of the Latine Heritage Month committee and what is your favorite part about planning for Latine Heritage Month programming at CPL?

I have been a part of the committee in some capacity for 4 years, but I wasn’t fully involved until I became Co-Chair almost two years ago.

As far as my favorite part of planning goes, the best thing is just talking and working with people I wouldn’t normally be working with. This year, I was able to work more closely with other librarians to help set up programs. It’s interesting to hear opinions and thoughts that others have. This has given me a chance to work with my colleagues on a more personal level.

What is one thing you wish people knew about the library that they might not know?

I wish people knew more about programming in general. There are those out there that think libraries are just books and resources. People don’t realize there are things to do at the library. There are book clubs, story times, trivia nights, video games, movies, tech classes, performances and so much more.

I have spoken to people many times after a program or event, and it’s not uncommon to be asked how often we do these types of programs. I explain to them how often and what other programs and other things there are to do at my branch and neighboring branches. Some people have no idea.

What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests?

I like traveling because it helps me gain perspective on cultural and regional differences. I’m more of a visual learner, so traveling lets me paint a visual connection to historical events when I see them. For example, Barcelona’s gothic quarter and La Sagrada Familia have visual damage that is a reminder of civil war. Looking at holes on the wall of a building in Barcelona’s gothic quarter is a much more visceral reminder of what transpired there many years ago as opposed to just hearing or reading about it.

Also, it never hurts to travel just to try new things and new food while you are away, especially if they are things that aren’t normally seen or available where one lives. I never had a squid Takoyaki ball until I went to Japan. These weren’t common in Pilsen, so I had to try my first in my travels.

Additionally, when I am not traveling and simply living my best couch potato life, I enjoy watching boxing and MMA, specifically the UFC. Also, I like to play video games; fighting games like Street Fighter and Fatal Fury are my go-to series. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, so I grew up with the gaming boom. Playing video games is something I still do when I get a chance, especially when I am just trying to relax.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Batman Off-world, opens a new window by Jason Aaron. I am an old school DC comics fan and I grew reading characters like Lobo, Booster Gold, Batman and anyone else who has been in the Justice League. Jason Aaron, opens a new window, who also wrote other comics I like, has a unique take in this Batman comic as it is set in space and not Gotham City, so it will be interesting to see how he fights outer space threats. So far, I am really enjoying it, but I am still reading through it!

Additionally, it has been expressed to me by a few people that they would like to see an Adult Urban Fiction Book Club at West Englewood, so I am willing to read any good adult urban fiction. I come from the children’s librarian world, so any good recommendations would be appreciated as adult books are less familiar to me.