5 Questions: Getting to Know Peyton Jenkins

5 Questions is a new feature, intended to help the community get to know its neighbors. Today we introduce Peyton Jenkins, Branch Manager at the Grain Valley branch of Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL).

How long have you been with MCPL? I have worked for MCPL for almost 16 years! My first job ever was shelving books here at the Grain Valley branch, when I was a teenager. I stayed on after I graduated high school and then in college I decided that librarianship was the career for me. In those 15+ years I have worked at several different branches: Lone Jack, Lee’s Summit, Buckner, and now back in Grain Valley! I spent the last six years as the assistant manager and then manager of the Buckner Branch, where we focused on supporting the community and being a part of the everyday lives of its citizens.

What are you most excited about in your new role? It is certainly exciting to be back in the branch and community that gave me my start in libraries! I am excited to bring to Grain Valley the same principles of a people-focused, purpose-based library that served the Buckner community so well. I’m also so thankful for the great team that already works here at Grain Valley; it has already been a joy to get to know them and work with them. We can’t wait to show Grain Valley what we can do!

What type of books/genres do you enjoy reading? I try to be a “little bit of everything” type reader, but what really pushes my buttons are big fat creaky gothic mysteries full of old houses, maybe-or-maybenot ghosts, unrequited loves, creepy servants, and hidden secrets. You know, real life stuff.

What led you to become a librarian? When I was 8 years old and living in small-town Alabama, I considered the town librarian to be my best friend. She was such an encouraging, loving person who truly cared about my success and my love for learning. I felt so safe in her library world. That experience is what pulled me to libraries, and it is always my hope that I can provide some fraction of that joy and safety and excitement in the lives of other young learners.

What do you wish Grain Valley residents knew about the Grain Valley library? We are here to serve! If you want to read it, do it, or learn about it, we want to help you! A little-realized fact is that people who work in libraries tend to be curious, creative people—and we love to share that curiosity and creativity with others! We are all about providing our community with the tools and resources to get where they want to go and do what they want to do. Whether that means checking out a fluffy mystery, printing off a boarding pass, or studying for the GED, we’re ready to help you.