Send Email to Lisa at: law@lisawroble.com
Visit Lisa's website at: http://www.lisawroble.com/
Authors Among Us - Children's Writers Who Are or Who Have Been Librarians
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Lisa Wroble
Send Email to Lisa at: law@lisawroble.com Visit Lisa's website at: http://www.lisawroble.com/ |
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Authors Among Us - Children's Writers Who Are or Who Have Been Librarians
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Featured Titles by Lisa Wroble:
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The New Deal and the Great Depression
in American History (Enslow, 2002) Purchase this book from Amazon.com |
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Kids During the Great Depression (0-8239-5255-X) Purchase this book from Amazon.com |
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Kids During the American Civil War ISBN 0-8239-5123-5 Purchase this book from Amazon.com |
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| What influenced you to work in a library?
My love of books and research. Do you have a library/information science degree? No. What kinds of library positions have you held and where? Library aide and assisting children's librarian. How long have you been, a librarian? Six years. I took my first library job when I received a 6-book nonfiction series contract. I'd been working as a project coordinator for a construction company and business had picked up. I knew I couldn't continue working those same hours and meet my (rather tight) contract deadline. I've loved every minute working at the library! Are you currently working as a librarian? No. Do you plan to continue in the profession? I'd like to, eventually. Right now I'm concentrating on my writing and turning to fiction ideas as well. Which came first in your life, your work as a librarian, or writing for children? Writing. I had 3 books and about 200 articles under my belt before I took the job at the Redford Township District Library. Did your library work have anything to do with becoming a children’s writer? No, but it helped ensure I continued on this path. Did your library work directly influence your work as an author? Yes, it did! I miss working at the library and realize now all the advantages it had for my writing. Seeing new books arrive, helping to weed the nonfiction section (which was a huge eye-opener for existing series and gaps in subject areas), and seeing which books children check out and ask for helps keep me in tune with current trends and interests. I enjoy suggesting books for the kids to read and it's always a boost when working circulation to find them checking out one of my books! This makes me want to run home and get to work on my current projects with renewed enthusiasm. I've learned a lot about important picture book qualities through planning and conducting storytime programs for toddlers and preschoolers. They've helped me better understand the types of stories readers this age enjoy, their attention span and language development, not to mention the friendships I've developed with these youngest patrons and their interesting comments and opinions on our story choices. Did librarianship increase your knowledge of children’s literature and influence the kinds of things you chose to write? Yes. Though I felt I'd read widely across the juvenile fiction genres, I discovered through reader's advisory that I have a better connection to the YA reading level and have begun focusing my fiction craft for that readership. Did incidents from your library work ever make it into your books? Did you ever set any scenes in your books in the library? I have come up with ideas after planning and running the teen summer reading club. I've also written short stories for younger children set around a few interesting incidents we've handled at our library. What are the greatest benefits of being a librarian to you as a writer? Exposure to various publishers and seeing both their catalogues and newest releases; finding gaps in nonfiction subject areas, since nonfiction for K-8 is my specialty; access to research/databases and to unlimited interlibrary loan. If you write while working as as librarian, how do you manage the time-juggling act? How does your employment impact on how much you write and when you do it? I work part-time but there are times when it's difficult to juggle work and writing--during summer reading club, for instance. I'm fortunate in being able to take personal time when I have a deadline crunch (coordinated around any special programming, of course). Sometimes it's simply tiring answering questions and dealing with the public all day and I find I have no energy to write afterwork. I'm fortunate that my in seeing published books and articles is as big a boost as seeing checking circulation stats on my titles. It's a boost. Do you feel that librarianship has/had specific benefits to you as a writer? Programming and conducting children's events has given me greater confidence in speaking in front of school groups or presenting at conferences. I've learned how to read the audience reaction and adapt my presentation accordingly (toddlers and preschoolers are great training in this respect!). Lisa Wroble's books include: The New Deal and the Great Depression in American History (Enslow, 2002) How Things Work, Childcraft update. Volume 9 (World Book, Inc. 2000). Endangered Animals and Habitats: The Ocean (Lucent Books, Fall 1997) Kids Throughout History series (PowerKids Press/Rosen, 1997-99): Kids During the Industrial Revolution Kids During the Great Depression Kids in Ancient Egypt Kids in Ancient Rome Kids in Colonial Times Kids During Pioneer Times Kids in the Middle Ages Kids During the Renaissance Kids in Ancient Greece Kids During the American Civil War Kids During the Time of the Maya Contributor to Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001) |
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Last Updated October 30, 2003