Librarian Jane Folger ’81 Knows How to Turn Kids into Readers

Most people think of a librarian as someone who sits at a desk and waits for someone to come ask them a question, says Jane Folger ’81 — “or who shushes people. I am none of the above.”

A pillar of the community, Folger retired last month after almost 30 years as the head of children’s services at the public library in Maplewood, New Jersey. At two retirement parties in August, children flocked to the library to say goodbye to “Ms. Jane,” and they wrote or drew messages in her memory book and added drawings of themselves to the “Faces of Maplewood” art wall she created.

Over the years, Folger has helped make the library — “the community’s living room,” as she calls it — a welcoming space for kids and teens of all ages. The library just finished a major renovation that ensured spaces for each age group, and under her leadership the library has run pen pal programs, kids’ art exhibits, reading programs where teens read to younger children, open mics, and more. 

“I don’t recommend [being a librarian] for people who want to escape from the world. I think you really have to love people and you have to love books,” Folger says. “Every day is different. You really never know what’s coming through the door, so if you need a lot of stimulation and, you know, challenge in your brain, it’s a good job.” 

Folger began her career working at an independent children’s bookstore during a gap year between high school and Princeton, where she majored in English. Then she got a job in the rare books department in Firestone Library. Though she says she “fell in love” with rare books and conservation, she soon realized that work did not fulfill her. “I’m a people person and I thought, ‘As much as I love doing this, I need a people job.’” So she instead worked for a couple of rare book dealers and got a masters’ degree in library science from Columbia. 

While looking for a job in children’s literature, she went to a storytelling workshop in Princeton where another librarian encouraged her to apply for the job at Maplewood Library. “So I did, and the rest is history, really. I love this place.”

“In this job, I have the chance — face to face — to change the world one person at a time,” she says. “And I see the results, too. I hear it.”

Over the years, she developed a specialty, she says, of connecting with kids who don’t like to read. Her team does a lot of outreach at the local elementary schools, pool, churches, festivals, and more. The library’s two branches are walkable from most parts of town, making the library’s books and resources more easily accessible to children and families. 

The key to getting kids to actually want to pick up a book and read, Folger says, is to avoid pushing them to read books that don’t interest them and to emphasize that just spending time with books is more important than how many they read. 

“The reading curve is hard,” she says. “Then you somehow plateau and it’s easier, but it is a huge challenge. I mean, think about going to another country where you don’t speak the language and having to learn that as an adult. It’s stressful, it’s exhausting, so don’t push it.”

Her work comes in helping kids find the next good book to keep them going. Folger knows that she and her fellow librarians are competing with toys and technology, so their job is to “be better than the device,” she says. And in Maplewood, they’re succeeding: “The kids here love to read. I mean, if you have a book and a device here, they’re going to pick the book.”