#CPLStaffSpotlight | Chapter 5
Meet Evelyn Keolian, Children's Librarian and First Assistant at West Loop Branch!
What did you study in college, and how did it shape your path to becoming a librarian?
When I first started college at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), I didn’t declare a major for my first two years, just in case I changed my mind. I was leaning towards English or Theatre. An uncle of mine encouraged me to take courses in many different subjects as I might find something of interest that I hadn’t thought of. I explored everything from art to oceanography to philosophy.
I landed on English as my major and unofficially minored in Theatre with the intent of becoming a high school teacher in both subjects for Deaf and Hard of hearing students. Tests have never been my forte and after several tries of trying to pass the math section of the test to enter the teaching credential program, I decided maybe teaching wasn’t my calling. I also considered the publishing and journalism fields too, but it was much harder to break into these fields than I anticipated.
Twenty years later after graduating from college, I went back to school at Pasadena City College (PCC) where they have a library technician program. A good friend encouraged me to go back to school like he did, which helped him make a career change as well into the library field. When I took my first class, Introduction to Libraries, my professor planted a seed that I could become a librarian. Being enrolled in this program really opened doors for me to finally get my first library job at the PCC library.
I got my MLIS at the then brand-new joint program that University of North Texas and California State University, Northridge had started.
How long have you worked at CPL, and did you grow up in Chicago?
I have been at CPL for almost 13 years. Fresh out of grad school, I got my foot in the door as a part-time Children’s Library Associate at the Mount Greenwood branch. In my time at CPL, I’ve also worked at Edgewater Branch, Oriole Park Branch, Harold Washington Library Center in the Assistive Resources Center, Popular Library and Children’s Services and Family Engagement Department, King Branch, Uptown Branch, and currently work at West Loop as the Children’s Librarian/First Assistant.
I’m a SoCal transplant. While I didn’t move to Chicago for the job per se, I was lucky enough to have a job waiting for me when I moved. I was born in southwest Los Angeles, not far from LAX, but spent my childhood in northeast L.A. in Highland Park, a hop, skip and a jump from Dodger Stadium; no, I never became a Dodgers fan.😊I lived most of my adult life in Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl.
What is your favorite part about working at the West Loop Branch?
My favorite part about working at the West Loop Branch is connecting with our families through my Read & Sign Baby and Toddler story times, our Milk & Cookies Book Club for beginning readers and finding the perfect reads for our kid patrons. I feel lucky to work in a neighborhood filled with voracious readers. I also love sharing my favorite mystery authors with our adult patrons looking for recommendations in that area. My top recs are Sara Paretsky, opens a new window, Laura Lippman, opens a new window and Naomi Hirahara, opens a new window.
When did you know you wanted to be a librarian?
My earliest memory of wanting to be a librarian was when I was 7 or 8 years old.
I thought I wanted to grow up and be like the nice lady who sat at the desk in the children’s area at the library. As a Deaf kid, I quickly decided that was not a feasible option since whispering in the library was the standard.
Ironically, years later, when I was 21 years old, I interviewed for a library position at a high school only to be told that while I was a perfect candidate, they weren’t going to hire me because I looked like I was still in high school. I still wonder to this day, what if I had gotten that job? Maybe I would have pursued librarianship much sooner?
I ended up taking about a year between completing the library tech program and grad school. I never thought I would go back to school unless it were for fun. Going back to school as an older adult was no easy feat, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to take on the challenge of grad school. Going to my first American Library Association (ALA) conference in Anaheim, CA (home of Disneyland), helped me make the decision to apply for grad school. Meeting Deaf and hearing American Sign Language fluent librarians at that conference made me feel like there was a place for someone like me to work at a public library.
What experiences as librarian motivated you to start the Diversability committee?
One thing I focused on in grad school was serving people with disabilities in libraries. My first job was working at the Disabled & Deaf/Hard of Hearing Student Services office as a student assistant at CSULA. My experience on that job really resonated with me as another reason I wanted to go into librarianship: to better serve people with disabilities in the library.
As a young mom with children, I never brought my kids to story time because it wasn’t accessible for me. Often, library staff would talk to my kids rather than to me just because they seemed to think it was easier to communicate with them instead of me. People still had to whisper in the library at that time!
In my first year of living in Chicago, I was invited to march in the Disability Pride Parade with friends who work for Blue Cross Blue Shield. My friends asked me, why isn’t the library in the parade? As a CPL newbie, my reply was, I don’t know. The next few years, my friends asked again, where is the library?! You couldn’t blame them for asking this question since the parade starts right outside HWLC on Plymouth Street, also known as Honorary Disability Pride Parade Way. My friends said I needed to get the library in the parade.
I had also observed all of the cultural/heritage observation months and wondered where was the one that focused on people with disabilities, which led me to start the Diversability Committee, creating programing for Disability Pride Month.
What is your favorite part about planning for Disability Pride month?
It is hard to pinpoint one favorite part. I thoroughly enjoy helping find and read books with our committee members for our booklists for adults, teens and kids. Another favorite part is seeing all the various branches that participate in Disability Pride Month, whether it’s hosting one of our main programs, a film screening, or a book club. I get to see all this coming together.
You are also a professor at Oakton college. How does your work as a librarian influence your work as a professor and vice versa?
I have always encouraged my students to utilize our Oakton library as well as their local library to complete some of the assignments. One assignment is a Deaf Culture assignment. During the pandemic, we had to shift from doing this in-person to something that could be completed at home. Instead of going to a Deaf Coffee Chat or an American Sign Language interpreted play, I assigned movies they could easily watch with their library card. While many students may have Netflix or Amazon Prime, not everyone may.
I learned from my students what budget-friendly sources they would use to get their textbooks. Over the years, I’ve been able to share this with college students coming into CPL, trying to see if we have their much-needed textbooks.
My work as a children’s librarian reminds me that not everyone learns the same way, which I’ve incorporated in my teaching style, quickly adapting to different types of learners in my classes.
What advice would you give someone who wants to advocate for inclusion and accessibility in the workplace?
Be an example. Use disability-inclusive language. Start small. Don’t give up if you don’t accomplish your goals. Celebrate the small wins and just keep striving for more.
What is one thing you wish people knew about the library that might not know?
I will never forget how many people I met in Chicago when I first moved here who seemed to think libraries were just a place to use a computer and that libraries were becoming dinosaurs with the arrival of e-books.
I would tell people that their library card is the key to so many cool and free resources, regardless of how they access them, from books to movies to music. We even have a Library of Things (where patrons can check out commonly used household items like sewing machines, cooking tools, outdoor leisure equipment and more) at various branches, including West Loop Branch.
What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests?
I’m a die-hard Cubs and Bears fan. I love festival hopping in Chicago. Traveling is one of my passions; last year, I traveled every month. Two of those trips were to attend the Savannah Book Festival and the National Book Festival for the first time. I go to the theatre as much as my busy schedule would allow. I have recently gotten back into storytelling and performing, which I hadn’t done since before the pandemic. I love to relax through baking, crafting and journaling.
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading for the Schneider Family Book Award as a recently joined jury member. This book award focuses on the disability experience in children’s and young adult books. For my fun moments of reading, I’m reading, What She Ate, opens a new window by Laura Shapiro, As Always, Julia: Letters of Julia Child & Avis Devoto: Food, Friendship, and the Making of a Masterpiece, opens a new window by Joan Reardon and My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, opens a new window by Laura Kaye and Stephanie Dray while listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, opens a new window.
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