Before gracing LACES students with the safe haven and gathering spot that is the school library with her presence and work, school librarian Ms. Jasmine Kim used to write her own stories – fanfiction.
Kim garnered an interest in reading when she read fanfiction when she was younger, which soon set forth her love of writing it. This newly-found interest in writing led Kim to success in her English classes, and later led her to become an English major and soon, teacher. However, this interest in teaching only lasted a few years before she realized a classroom was not where she ideally wanted to be.
“I was thinking, I don’t think this is for me – and then the school librarian there [the school she previously taught at] mentioned something about librarianship, and that’s when I got into it,” said Kim.
Although she did not stay a teacher, her love for books shaped her career and influence at school, finding her calling as the LACES librarian.
Kim, as described by LACES students, is authentic and sincere, and her values in life and in other clearly reflect her own character as well.
“I value, you know, somebody being genuine and honest,” said Kim. “And, I also value, in Japanese, it’ll be ‘Kuuki wo yomu’ – reading the air. So, people being genuine, people being honest, and, if that isn’t the case, then, trying to be respectful – those are the key morals.”
These morals of hers also mirror her thoughts on books and the topic of censorship in literature. It’s no surprise that one as open and truthful as Kim does not believe in censorship.
“You can censor whatever you want to hide, but in the end, everything comes back, be it in a positive or negative light,” said Kim. “You have to reap the consequences of your actions.”
She also believes in the idea that those who aren’t the biggest fan of reading just have not found the book that is right for them.
Alongside reading, Kim, from a young age, has also had an interest in gaming.
“My hobbies just never really ended. They stayed consistent from childhood to where I am now,” said Kim.
She tends to play mobile games on her phone and games on her Switch the most frequently, preferring cozy games like Animal Crossing and Pikman Bloom. She doesn’t typically play longer form games.
“[The games I play] are not exerting, so I don’t have to put a lot of my time and energy into them,” said Kim. I don’t have the energy to be so focused on a particular game franchise So, right now, I don’t have enough in me to play a long-form game like Zelda or Baldur’s Gate or Skyrim, for example.”
One of her favorite aspects of gaming is how she gets to connect with her students that spend time in the library.
“[Because I play the same kinds of games as my students], I can understand conversations and I understand why they are so addictive, because I kind of am [addicted] too. I see a game, I want to play it, and it allows me to kind of put myself in their shoes,” said Kim.
Whether delving into a new world in the form of a book or picking up a controller, Kim proves librarians have much more to them behind the shelves.
