Muhlenberg County Public Libraries is proud to name Nellie Gardner and Asher Smith as Kid Librarians for September 2025.
Kid Librarians are chosen monthly to design a juvenile display at the library. Each Kid Librarian may choose a theme for their display, select library materials to highlight and decide how to organize and best show off the chosen titles. New Kid Librarians are selected each month for each library branch (Harbin Memorial and Central City).
Chosen Kid Librarians are acknowledged inside the library with a sign next to their display, as well as being recognized in the local newspapers and on the library’s website and social media accounts.
Harbin Memorial’s Kid Librarian for September 2025 is Nellie Gardner. Gardner is 11 and in fifth grade. She loves reading and appreciates that the library always has new graphic novels to borrow, which is important for her – she can usually finish one in less than an hour and is ready to move on to the next! Gardner’s favorite authors include Raina Telgemeier and Terri Libenson, but her favorite book is Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas. “It shows how you can make a change without being violent,” she explained. When she isn’t reading, Gardner enjoys playing golf, and she even plays on the middle/high school team as a fifth grader. She is also interested in some science topics – she wants to be a neurosurgeon when she grows up.
Asher Smith is Central City’s Kid Librarian for September. Smith, 9, is in fourth grade. Like Gardner, Smith also enjoys science; it’s his favorite subject in school. He said, “I like the experiments.” Smith is another fast reader, especially when it comes to graphic novels (his favorite). He said he sometimes finishes his book even before the family gets home from the library. His favorite author is J.K. Rowling, but aside from her, Smith particularly enjoys the humorous InvestiGators series by John Patrick Green. Humor is important to Smith, who often uses funny faces to lighten the mood in tense situations. He can even touch his tongue to his nose, a talent no one else in his family shares, and he plans to carry that love for having (and sharing) fun into his adult life – he wants to be a Holiday World worker when he gets older. In the meantime, to continue the amusement, Smith enjoys visiting the play areas in both local libraries.
Kid Librarian displays are available at their respective library branches each month. They are removed the following month to make space for the next set of chosen Kid Librarians.
New Kid Librarians are chosen for each library branch each month. Applications for October’s Kid Librarians open September 29, and an applicant will be selected for each branch in early October.
The Kid Librarian program is for children and teens in third through eighth grade. Applications are available at the front desk of each library branch.
For more information about the Kid Librarian program, contact Muhlenberg County Public Libraries at 270-338-4760 or stop by to fill out an application.
Nellie Gardner
(display at Harbin Memorial)
