Getting to Know Mrs. Scott
By Faith W.
“I really want to build relationships with students, faculty, and staff at SEM,” says Mrs. Jackie Scott, the new librarian of the school library, when asked about her goals. Mrs. Scott started working at Buffalo Seminary in the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. She also works at SUNY Erie College on the days when she is not at SEM. She realizes that librarians are sometimes known for being serious and strict, but she welcomes students to ask questions. “It is our whole purpose for being here!”
Mrs. Scott explains that “helping people” is of great importance to her, and she tends to choose jobs that allow her to do so. Coming out of college, she helped people find jobs. After that, she had numerous jobs all revolving around helping others. For example, she helped people learn to make jewelry, and she was a veterinary technician. However, she reveals that she is “happiest” as a librarian.
Since she has such a profound love for books, she shows interest in all genres. However, after years of reading, her longest standing favorite is “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She found a liking for the genre of magical realism but doesn’t think she has a favorite. Mrs. Scott said, “I’ll read anything.” She shared that she’s always open to book recommendations and suggestions for what students would like to see in the library. Not only does she read books, but she also writes original short stories for fun, and wrote three novel length works of fanfiction. I think she gave a valuable life lesson when she disclosed that she won’t finish a book if it doesn’t spark her interest in the first fifty or so pages.
Mrs. Scott’s top priority at Buffalo Seminary is to make the library feel welcoming and inviting to students and staff. She describes the library as “the heart of the school.” She has successfully revived the Little Free Library where students can pick out a book (some are read in classes and others are simply for fun) to keep. Her plans are to have students help her decide what books to get, help make displays, and help plan events in the library. Student input has already started to be collected through a survey, and she still would like to see more responses because she believes the library is for everyone.
She encourages students to help out in the library, participate in upcoming events, or just stop in and say hello! Book a trip to the library! (Haha…get it?….book…)
