Dario Herrera ’22

Libros Schmibros Lending Library, Los Angeles, CA

This summer I was grateful to intern with the Libros Schmibros Lending Library, a bilingual (English and Spanish) community lending library dedicated to placing books in the hands that need it the most. Libros is located in Los Angeles, more specifically the Boyle Heights neighborhood of the city, and curates most of its programming and collection to meet the needs of the surrounding community. Libros recently celebrated its ninth anniversary and I was fortunate to be their summer intern for such an exciting period of time. While my duties as an intern were not specifically assigned to me, I quickly learned that much of my time at Libros would deal with my ability to make myself useful in every situation I found myself in. As their intern I found myself undertaking a variety of tasks ranging from maintenance, customer service, and program development especially with their newly created
 Fellowship program. This year, Libros undertook the development and implementation of a Fellowship program for neighborhood youth. Focusing on the development of the city of Los Angeles and intermixed with writing assignments and reading, the Fellowship often took up much of my time and that of the other Libros employees.

This Fellowship was completely new and would serve as the template for following years, and as a result I felt a responsibility to ensure that it would go off without a hitch. Most of my work with the Fellowship revolved around creating programing for the Fellows and contacting other organizations or people who would like to collaborate with us on this project. The core theme of the Fellowship stemmed from the role of the Los Angeles River in the foundation and history of the city, a history that is often forgotten. The hidden nature of this history made my job more difficult but also allowed me to uncover and learn more about my community along the way. Along with the other Libros employees, we were able to take the Fellows on trips to the LA County Museum of Natural History, the Los Angeles River, the Port of Los Angeles, Evergreen Cemetery, and a private tour of the Getty Villa. Alongside these trips, we were also able to bring in guest speakers such as Harry Chandler Jr., the great grandson of the founder of the Los Angeles Times; Mia Lehrer, the lead landscape architect for the revitalization of the river; and Patt Morrison, writer for the Los Angeles Times, to name a few. While organizing these trips and events was a great experience, my favorite part of the Fellowship was the camping trip that took place at the end of my internship. For most of the Fellows this was their first time camping and I am sure it was an experience they will not forget soon.

At our monthly bilingual storytelling hour.

This internship was not like the typical internship I had expected to find myself in my college career. My idea of suits and hierarchies was quickly replaced with the idea that casual Friday was casual every day. The liberties that came with interning for such a unique non-profit granted me the freedom to further pursue my passions and interests with the guidance of the Libros team, and for that I am truly grateful. For example, when I was not helping to organize the summer Fellowship I was able to help with other projects that stimulated my interests. These included the Bilingual Children’s Storytelling Hour, Movie Screenings, and simple interactions with the community at large. Of these “side projects” my favorite often were the ones that dealt with community engagement. When I first came to Libros I expected to find a strictly organized non-profit, but what I soon came to realize was that while Libros was not super organized it was accessible. It is this accessibility that would come to matter the most to me over time. For example, I often found myself having to explain the concept of a “lending library” to almost everyone that stepped through our doors. What I thought was a simple concept was often an alien one to all of our patrons. Most of our patrons thought that we were a book store and none could understand how Libros was able to keep its doors open without charging a cent for these books (I later learned that fundraising is the backbone of all non-profits). Once we were able to overcome these initial barriers, the accessibility of Libros is what brought many of our patrons back. Over the course of the summer, many faces became regulars and some even grew to become great friends of mine. It is this concept of accessibility that I often credit the success of Libros Schmibros to. While people came for the wide array of books we carried, I like to believe that they also came back because of the friendly and inclusive environment that we at Libros created for all that walked through.

Before Libros Schmibros my career path was not as clear as it is now. While I still do not have a definitive answer in mind, Libros has allowed me to understand that my talents and passions are in the non-profit sector. This summer, I realized that working with people and for the community at large is my greatest passion. While it may be hard to understand what role a lending library has in regards to my career paths, it is here that I began to understand the complex intersects of oppression that a little library like Libros could help to solve. Our bilingual nature addresses specifically the large immigrant community of Boyle Heights, our free books mantra tackles issues of illiteracy and class issues, and our community events and Fellowship program serves to prove that we are here to serve the community. If there is one lesson I learned at Libros, it has to be that community work is most effective when one is out in the community and not waiting for the community to find them.

As I return to Williams, I come back with a greater sense of being and purpose. I come rejuvenated and ready to disseminate the skills and knowledge I learned over the summer. Through this internship, I feel like I have gained a greater focus in terms of my studies and plan to formally declare myself as a political science major. This internship has allowed me to understand that change does not always have to be grand but can occur in small steps. For this reason, I hope to become further involved with the Williamstown community and in finding ways to help fellow Ephs escape from the Purple Bubble. While I do not have a current idea in mind, I have been playing around with the idea of hosting community dancing lessons and/or becoming more involved with the Williamstown Gardening Club, and/or the elementary school.

The experiences and skills I have gained from my internship at Libros Schmibros Lending Library will serve as indispensable tools for my future. As a result, I would like to thank the ’68 Center for Career Exploration and the Class of 1972 for opening my eyes for what my future could possibly look like. Thank you for allowing me to pursue and discover my passions and thank you for allowing me to understand that I am capable of initiating change in my community and beyond. Without your generosity none of this would be possible, and for that I am forever indebted to you all.