The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading

Schall is the adult services librarian in the Culture and AV division of the public library in Akron, Ohio. She only became enthusiastic about reading when introduced to online tests on different books in school, which appealed to her competitive spirit. She has been volunteering and working in libraries since she was in middle school but still feels as though she has much to learn in each new role. Librarians have many diverse tasks; Schall runs book clubs, helps with outreach, and does whatever menial tasks need doing around the library. A lot of the job involves working with technology. The library in Akron lends out many useful items apart from books, and some of Schall’s favorite patrons are the local people without fixed residences who come from the nearby Mission to use the facilities.

Blair is the co-owner and operator of the independent bookstore EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore in St Louis, Missouri. She moved to the US from Guyana when she was 12, and she and her husband chose to homeschool their three children until the children began middle school. The children’s home education focused on African history prior to slavery, and the Blairs opened their bookstore upon discovering that there was a need in the education system and local community for more children’s books featuring racially diverse characters and covering African American history.