There’s a new face looking after Te Puke’s younger library-going community.

Robyn Baker is the new children and teens librarian at Te Puke Library.

She has come from an early childhood education background, where, for a decade, she worked mostly in a Steiner-based daycare centre.

Children’s librarian is her first role outside that environment. It’s one that has seen her interact with children of school age for the first time.

“I think that’s the main difference,” she said, “I’m now planning and presenting for primary school children so it’s about finding out what they can enjoy and what they need help with – and I’m still on that learning journey.”

Baker decided to move away from early childhood teaching because of her love of books.

“I love the library and I love to read. I think it’s a great way to learn and it’s wonderful to share that with children so they can grow up and have that as well.”

She felt she was laying a foundation for children to develop their life skills, curiosity, a love of learning and reading for enjoyment.

Baker said her favourite children’s books were the “sing-songy, rhyming ones and the ones with bright colours and the playful ones with pop-ups”.

There were regular events for children at the library, including story time twice a week, as well as special events such as this week’s Matariki story time, scavenger hunt and colouring competition, and school holiday programmes.

The July school holiday programme at the library would be Baker’s first “flying solo”.

She said she’s looking forward to it.

“I love crafts and we’ve got three craft activities that will be lots of fun and to get creative.”

The programme has a pirate theme and includes Lego set-building and challenges, and an afternoon movie.

There would be a games morning and the pirate-themed craft activities, scavenger hunt, a teen challenge and colouring competition.

See the Western Bay of Plenty libraries website or Facebook page for more details.

Booking is required.

It’s possible the board game session would become a regular event during term time.

Library team leader Amanda-Jane McFadden said the children’s librarian role was not only to run events for children in the library, but also to connect with the community.

“For the last few years we have supported the Summer in the Park [events] and also go out to visit local daycare centres, kindergartens and play centres to present story time.”

She said with parents working more, those centres don’t always have the resources to take groups of children to the library, so the children’s librarian can go to them, into their spaces to promote literacy and learning.

She said people may not realise the work required to be a children’s librarian.

“When you present a one-hour event, it could take three to five hours of planning for that one-hour event, so there’s a lot of planning and research that goes into the role and into the events.”

McFadden encouraged staff at the various pre-school centres to contact Baker if they would like her to visit.