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

Terry works as an inventory commercial specialist for the chain bookstore Barnes & Noble in Beaumont, Texas. She often works in the children’s department and believes that seemingly absurd books such as Captain Underpants play an important role in motivating disinterested little boys to enjoy reading—even though one boy’s father had difficulty believing that such a book could exist. Terry runs story time at the store, reading to young children and along with older ones. A particularly eventful instance saw young children frightened first by the special guest mascot dressed as a storybook character, then by the lights of the store cutting out due to a storm.

Zonderman works as the head of reference and adult services as well as the school district liaison for the public library in Westhampton Beach, New York. Some of her earliest memories involve being read to as a child, and she spent much of her childhood in the local library. Zonderman volunteered at the library while working as a lawyer before switching careers, and she enjoys sharing book recommendations from her centenarian grandmother with patrons. The library offers many lesser-known services like document notarization, exercise classes, and language courses.