Jill Keller

I am the children's librarian at the West End branch library, and I have been there since 2012. I went way back in my photos and started looking at some of the first ones I had, and this one is from 2015. It's a photo of a magician we had at the library. He did a lot of cool things, but one of the most memorable was when he had all the kids lie down and then juggled over the top of them. The kids thought it was hilarious. He was really good, and they had an awesome time.

I think the kids here in the West End are always so ready to laugh and have fun. They get a huge kick out of everything. One of the things I really love about working here is that there’s always something that makes me laugh—no matter what day it is. Sometimes it’s not even deliberate. A kid won’t be trying to be funny, but they’ll just be hilarious.

With just the slightest bit of attention, most kids here flourish and bloom. They light up, and that’s a really amazing thing to see. There’s a levity in this community that comes from being so tight-knit. A lot of people are related, so everywhere you go, you’re meeting somebody’s cousin or aunt or sibling. It almost feels like being at someone’s family picnic when you’re at the library.

People are really close here. There are folks who have lived in the West End for generations. Because of that, there’s a camaraderie and a real sense of kinship among so many West End residents. This is a community that defies the odds. Folks here look out for each other and try to find the best in everything.