MIDVALE, UTAH — Jenny Olsen is an extraordinary librarian here at Hillcrest High School. She has always been passionate about books and working with students. Prior to her four years at Hillcrest, she worked as a librarian at Alta High School for ten years. Not only has she been a librarian for almost 14 years, but she also previously worked at Jordan High School as an English teacher.
From a young age, Mrs. Olsen had always aspired to be a teacher. While she loved teaching, it was still a very difficult job. One day, the librarian at Jordan asked if she had ever thought about being a librarian, and that’s when it sparked. “I think if she hadn’t said that to me, I don’t know whether it would have occurred,” Mrs. Olsen reflected.
Mrs. Olsen still misses having her own students and classes, but she has many benefits as a librarian. She still gets that teaching aspect, but in smaller bits and with more flexibility. When asked what her favorite thing about being a librarian is, she says, “The students. I would say the books, but the books are nothing without the students.” To Mrs. Olsen, getting to know the students is more than just finding them the perfect book; it’s about helping them on a more personal level.
Having a great faculty and staff in high school is something that is so important to the students, and Mrs. Olsen is one of them. She enjoys helping students find a book that connects to them, especially when Hillcrest has so many students who are new to the country and need books in their native language. “Students have told me, ‘It matters to me that I see a book in my native language. Like, I feel seen.’ I love that I can do that.”
As a librarian, Mrs. Olsen’s love for books has only grown stronger, her favorite one being Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams. She read this book for the first time while she was studying abroad in London. While reading it, she could instantly tell how beautifully written it was, and it immediately stuck with her since then.
Ultimately, Mrs. Olsen is a great librarian here at Hillcrest High School, and we are so lucky to have her to help out and be someone that the students can look up to and lean on.
