Charlotte Joslin

Laura Sylvester keeps the library organized to simplify the search for students’ favorite genres.

Thirteen years ago, when Laura Sylvester began working as the BSM librarian, the library had no books. Now, she has stacked the shelves and created a calming environment for every student to feel comfort and safety, just like she felt growing up in her local library.

When most students think of the library, they picture shelves of books and quiet study corners. What they rarely see is the meticulous work happening behind the scenes. Between sorting new arrivals, making sure the shelves are always stacked, and creating new resources for teachers, a librarian’s work is never done. For Sylvester, every quiet day in the library is actually a whirlwind of organization, problem-solving, and quiet dedication that keeps students and staff connected to everything they may need. “One of the fun parts about being a school librarian is every day is different,” Sylvester said.

Ms. Sylvester is a name that everyone at BSM knows, from her many classroom visits, often to introduce research databases to checking out books with her. She is a backbone of knowledge that is always reliable for directing students to sources or keeping an eye out for pieces of literature that they are looking for. “When a student connects with a book or if I get a book in that they’ve been waiting for, and they’re just so excited, that totally makes my day,” Sylvester said.

Not a subject teacher or a student, a librarian is a very unique position. Sylvester gets to work with teachers in all departments, and she really enjoys having the ability to interact with all ages of students as well. Although there aren’t any other librarians like her at BSM, she helps manage a group of librarians from other Catholic schools, who meet for professional development regularly throughout the school year. She finds these meetings valuable because she gets to work with other librarians just like herself. “The opportunities are kind of endless in terms of how many students I can meet and work with,” Sylvester said.

She was a school teacher for a few years and then continued teaching in higher education. When she stopped, she greatly missed interacting with the students and teachers. She really enjoys learning, and that was not only one of the reasons she wanted to be a teacher, but also a school librarian. Reading to her feels automatic; she described always having a book in her hands. Although she is a school librarian, she claims she is a slow reader. “You just get to dabble in all kinds of different information and all kinds of different students, and so I really enjoy that part,” Sylvester said.

Although she doesn’t have favorites, if you were looking for a book recommendation, she says The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D Schmidt is the most heartwarming and sweetest book that will make you both laugh and cry. “It has just been really meaningful. I do think everyone should read it. It’s just a good book, and sometimes we need that,” Sylvester said.