After thirteen years of teaching English, Amy Pine, library media specialist, decided to further her education and become a librarian. Not only is Pine a librarian, she is a published author and the unofficial sponsor of an unofficial poetry club started by students at the high school. “She has definitely [been an inspiration] to me,” Lutman said. “If I have something I wrote, she will do a spell check for me because I’m awful at spelling, and if there is a series that I want to start, she’ll help me fine tune it. She also helps me with my English essays because she used to be an English teacher.”

In addition to helping students in the library, Pine sponsors a poetry club started by students at the high school. She continues to encourage students to pursue writing and helps them along the way.

Amy Pine, Library Media Specialist

@AJ_Pine

Q: What inspired you to become a librarian and a writer?
A: When I realized that I could read stories and poetry instead of textbooks and still get a degree, that was much more appealing to me than anything else. The idea of Writers’ Day came from the old school that I worked at as an English teacher. They had writers’ week, and it was watching my students get on stage and read their own writing that made me think “wow, if they can be brave enough to do this, then I want to try it too.” It was actually my students that inspired me to pursue writing.

Q: Do you think that spending your day in the library and working with students with books helps you with your writing?
A: I love working with students on their writing. We have a very unofficial poetry club that meets on Monday mornings during late start, and I’m the unofficial sponsor. It’s super inspiring seeing that small group of students writing every week. It makes me want to write new things. I have students who, now that they know I am a writer, come in and ask me for help with their writing all the time.

Q: Why did you decide to become a librarian?
A: Partly because I got my masters in Library Science. When you’re in education you have to keep furthering your education to keep your certificate current. So I knew if I was going to go back and get my Masters, the only way I would get out of the classroom is if I was doing something literature related so I was interested in becoming a librarian and this position opened up. My kids are in this district, so it was kind of perfect.

Q: How has your passion for reading and writing grown?
A: I’ve always been a reader, and that’s one of the reasons I became a librarian, but now even more so because a big part of my job is recommending books to my students. I need to keep up with what I’m reading and keep current with all the new books coming out. I also think that as  a writer it makes me a stronger writer and pushes me to read all the time.

Q: How has working in the library changed you?
A: I have to find new ways to get to know students since I’m no longer in the classroom. I’ve been able to do that through reading and getting to know their styles of books with recommendations. Now that I get to share that I’m a writer with my students, I can hopefully inspire them to write as well.

“People can be really mean and disrespectful to the librarians but they’re actually really nice. You just have to understand that they’re just doing their job and you’re supposed to be doing your homework or studying when you’re in the library,” Megan Lutman, junior library aide, said. “[Mrs. Pine and I] have gotten to the point where we’re actually really good friends. Whenever I have a stressful day, I can just go up to her and say ‘this is what’s going on in my life, what do you think I should do,’ so not only is she a teacher who can help me with my homework and pick out books, but she’s someone who can guide me. She is a really respected adult in my opinion, ands she’s a role model to me now.”