10-year-old girl from Poplar Bluff, MO works as co-librarian at O'Neal Elementary

POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - Most people get their first job in high school, but one Poplar Bluff girl is starting a little early.

A 10-year-old at O'Neal Elementary decided she wants be a part of the faculty.

It's not a full time job, but Bailey Williams loves being co-librarian.

She's been working five days a week for over a year.

"I asked her one day, who puts up all these books?, and she said 'I do,' and that got me thinking – I really wanted to help her in the library," said Williams.

"One day I got a job application on my desk, and I looked at it and I thought I don't know what – what is this? So I called Bailey down and we talked about it and she was wholeheartedly ready to be co-librarian," said O'Neal Elementary Librarian Ashley Robertson.

Bailey has a number of responsibilities in O'Neal's library, like putting away books, helping students, reading to kids, and taking care of the library's hamster.

"I do it like an internship," Williams said.

Bailey says she loves helping the younger kids, and being their role model.

"Those kids are trying to learn how to read like first graders, and then if they figure I'm a kid who's been here and was trying to figure out how to read before them they might actually start thinking about more reading," Williams said.

Even though it comes with a lot of responsibility.

"Last year those third graders I read to if they saw me in public they'd say hi, and then I'd tell my mom, yeah, that was one of my students," Williams said.

"These kids look up to Bailey, and they want to be like Bailey. What I love is if we're in the hallway and our second graders now see her it's – hey Miss Bailey! There's Miss Bailey!," said Robertson.

Bailey's job is inspiring her to stay with it - and wants to be a school librarian someday.

"I truly can see that Bailey has an interest and a love for this, and a passion, and that's what it takes," said Robertson.

"As long as I hope I can. I want to come back next year," said Williams.

"I hope to see her graduate and still coming back to this library. I can't even tell you how proud I am of Bailey. Of who she is, and who she's going to be," said Robertson.

Bailey has her own library at home.

She says one time her dad checked out a book, but it was overdue for a year - so he paid off his fines with a pair of converse sneakers.

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