NES Librarian Jennings Brings Stories to Life

There’s something magical about spending time in an elementary school library — especially for kids who may have never visited their local library before coming to school. 

Not only are there shelves and shelves of colorful books just waiting to be checked out, it’s one of the first opportunities that young children have to demonstrate independence and responsibility. After all, once that book is taken home, it’s up to the student to take good care of it.

Borrowing from the library is a well-earned privilege and at Narragansett Elementary School, Brien Jennings is the teacher that all the students in grades K–4 know and love as their librarian.  His enthusiasm for literary adventures is contagious both inside and outside the library walls — a wonderful gift that each student can take with them when they go home at the end of the day or when they move on to a new chapter in their life.

Now in his ninth year as the librarian at NES, Jennings feels very fortunate to have begun his teaching career here.   

“I was lucky enough to begin my teaching career at NES, and I do mean lucky,” he said. “I couldn’t have hoped for a better bunch of people to work with, from students to staff.”

Jennings didn’t start out pursuing a career as a librarian.  He had previously been working as a news photographer and editor at ABC-6 as well as a commercial and corporate videographer. 

He had an inkling that teaching was definitely for him because one of his favorite duties while at ABC was teaching and training high school and college interns in the various technical and writing aspects of working in broadcast news. When the time came to either move into a larger television market or change careers, he opted for the latter.

“Having had such a rewarding experience teaching interns, I decided to delve into the world of education,” Jennings said. “From there I followed my mother’s advice and enrolled in the library science program at URI, and I’ve loved every day of it.”

One of the reasons the students at NES are so eager to visit the library on a regular basis is because of the dynamic connection he has with them. 

When others ask how he engages the kids to read simply for pleasure, he smiles and answers, “I always try to remember what it was like being a kid and what interested me when I was in school. I suppose when I am successful in engaging them to read for pleasure it’s because I’m modeling it for them. I try to choose read aloud stories that have elements I genuinely enjoy and I think that comes across as I read them. I try my best to bring stories to life.” 

Teachers must constantly keep up with the latest technology and online programs both in and out of the classrooms, so that their students can stay abreast of cutting-edge learning tools.  The library is no different, as Jennings notes that there have been a lot of changes in the mechanics of how students can access information, from online catalogs to the internet in general.   

He explains that students can easily find and even create tremendous amounts of information using all sorts of media. And beyond maintaining a familiarity with new technologies, the role of the school librarian has become even more important as they still have the responsibility of teaching students how to differentiate between good and bad information. 

What’s the favorite part of his job as the school librarian? 

“Sorry to sound cliché, but I really love seeing the spark of understanding ignite – especially when a student has been struggling to get to that point. Sometimes it’s quick, others, it takes a while, but it’s truly a great thing!” 

Narragansett is certainly known to many for its quaint seashore appeal, which Jennings admits is part of the draw for him. 

“Narragansett is one of my top two favorite places [the other being Ireland]. A lot of what makes it special is obvious: small town, great beaches, good waves, and it has managed to maintain a lot of the character that has been lost in so many seaside towns. And that was what I loved when I lived here, but worked in Providence or Boston. It was a great place to come home to.” 

“But being able to work in Narragansett for nearly 10 years, I have come to know an awful lot of the families that live here and I have to say that they’re probably the best part. My wife Monica and I are extremely happy to be raising our two sons, Finn and Henry, here.”  

Jennings is well known throughout the school and community for his gift of photography and video production.  He videos the school concerts, plays and Field Day happenings, to name a few events he’s at!  He always enjoyed writing, but he loved working visually as well whether in drawing, painting, or later in video production. 

“They’re all just different methods of storytelling,” he said. “I still do a bit of video work on the side and am working on one or two projects in my scant spare time. As cameras and software become cheaper and more readily available, I think it will continue to be an increasingly important medium and it’s an area I would like to eventually instruct older students in.” 

One of the outside projects he recently worked on with another Narragansett native, Patricia Federico, just aired on Ch. 36 on Jan. 8 at 10 p.m.

“We spent a week in New Orleans on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and tried to show how much work there was still to be done,” he said. 

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