New Faces at the Jefferson Market Library

By Corinne Neary

We recently welcomed DYLAN JONES, our newest librarian trainee to Jefferson Market Library. 

As the freshest face at the circulation desk, can you tell us what led you to working in libraries and at Jefferson Market?

I’ve loved libraries ever since I was a kid and I’ve always been an avid reader. As a teenager I have fond memories of going to my local library and experiencing a sort of cozy acceptance that I didn’t experience in other areas of my life at the time.

After college, my hometown library was high on my list of places to work. After I worked there a few years, I moved to the city where my goal was to land a job with the NY Public Library. It took many applications and rejections, but my persistence paid off and I got a job as an information assistant at Ottendorfer Library in the East Village where I worked in the children’s department. It was an amazing experience but I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do in the long run. 

When I saw a job open as an Adult Librarian Trainee at Jefferson Market, one of the coolest branches, I jumped on it. I really love the community here. They’re really enthusiastic about the library in a way that feels different from other places. There’s a sense that whatever program we’re passionate about doing, there are patrons who are just as excited about it as we are.

How are you using your music background at the library?

My undergraduate degree was in music which has always been a big part of my life. It’s been my primary focus in my programs at NYPL thus far. My most successful program at Ottendorfer was a weekly singalong program for babies and toddlers. I would shout about oatmeal to a room of 30 babies and their nannies and get them to sing and dance. 

When I switched to Jefferson Market I wanted to use my musical skills to orchestrate programs for other age groups. So far I have done a guitar class for teens, and I participated in the Jefferson Market Choir led by Third Street Music School. Both programs have been fun and rewarding in their own ways. I have a vision of doing more classes, an open mic, and a speed dating program where I sing to the participants as they date each other.

Our movie attendees have noticed a few departures from our usual fare of glamour gals and musical numbers. Tell us what you’ve been bringing to the Thursday night movie lineup!

I was invited to curate some movies for the Summer lineup and I wanted to show a mix of comedies and action movies. Most of the picks are movies that had a big impression on me when I was a kid. For instance, on Aug. 1st we’re showing Jaws and on Aug. 22nd we’re showing The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I like the idea of showing gems that most have seen but haven’t had a chance to see in a theater (or haven’t seen in a theater in years). It’s slightly different fare than the usual Jefferson Market selection, but all these movies aim to delight and titillate the viewer by all means possible.

How do you like working in Greenwich Village?

I love working in the Village. It’s such a nice neighborhood for food, culture, people watching, and walking around. Even though I’ve worked here for over a year, I feel I’m only scratching the surface of discovering what’s around in the neighborhood. Some of my favorite spots for food so far are Lifethyme, Hawa Smoothies, and the Little Taco House. I also love walking to the Hudson River whenever I get a chance. It’s a great place to reflect and ponder. 

Do you have a favorite book? And what’s something interesting you’ve been reading lately?

It’s way too hard to pick just one favorite but some of my favorites from my past year have been The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls. 

A book I just finished that I loved was Bob Dylan’s Chronicles. It bends the rules of a conventional music memoir. He completely avoids discussing any of his canonized albums yet nearly a quarter of the book relates in detail the recording process of a random album of his from the late 80s. He writes stuff like, “On Tuesday we laid down five rhythm guitar tracks for ‘Political World’. I left the studio and it was a rainy night with some cumulus clouds in the sky coming from the Northeast and the air was about 83 degrees fahrenheit. I met up with my wife at a Cajun joint… I told her to order for the two of us and the next thing I know there’s fried okra, catfish, and Mississippi mud pie sitting in front of me. I wasn’t too hungry though, so I just munched on some onion rings.” The imbalance of detail he includes is hilarious, and I found it inspiring that he just wrote about what he wanted to write about instead of what everyone would expect.