August 25, 2026
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November 2026 elections are around the corner. Get informed with nonpartisan voting resources from the New Orleans Public Library.
Teen Voices: Hannah on Volunteering at the Library
Marie Simoneaux
Marie is the Media & Content Coordinator for the New Orleans Public Library
Hannah Nides is a musician, avid movie watcher, and Library-lover. Last fall, the 17-year-old started volunteering with the Library’s Youth Programming Department, where she helped develop new procedures, facilitated programs, and fulfilled a life-long dream of working in a library.
Growing up in Mid-City, Hannah always admired the Mid-City Library’s building, a location she frequented with her mom to check out DVDs.
“For a while, the TV that I had in my room was really old and it only had a DVD player, it didn’t connect to the internet or have any channels on it,” she said. “And I’m a big movie person, so when I realized there were actually a bunch of good DVDs here, I started coming here all the time.”
During her senior year at Ben Franklin High School, Hannah reached out to the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library to see if they had any volunteer options, but was disappointed to realize she wasn’t old enough to work with them. However, the Friends got Hannah in touch with Amy Wander, head of youth programming at the Library.
Soon, Hannah was spending her time at the Library not just browsing the DVDs, but also helping Wander and her team prepare for programs, organize materials to send to other Library locations, and helping at events.
“Hannah has been a true joy to work with and we’ll miss her being here every week,” Amy said. “Her ideas, enthusiasm, and energy were an inspiration, and she was a huge help to our department. We wish her the best at UNO and in her future work. I’m sure she will do great things.”
For Hannah, volunteering at the Library allowed her to try on a career she’d always envisioned for herself.
“I’ve always had this dream of being a librarian and it was really cool to actually see myself in that environment,” she said.
This fall, Hannah started her first semester at the University of New Orleans, where she’s studying music performance. She’s been playing the guitar since she was a child and studied jazz at NOCCA during high school, but she said a master’s in library and information sciences isn’t off the table for her.
“I’m hoping to find the time to keep volunteering at the Library and maybe even get a job at the library at school,” she said. “I really don’t know where my life will take me, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving and using libraries, so who knows.”
To her peers and other youth, Hannah has a succinct message about the Library: “It’s so much cooler than you think.”
“I feel like there’s this idea of libraries being this boring, stuffy place where you’ll go in and get shushed by the librarians. And that all you can do there is just read books all day. But, there’s so much more to do,” Hannah said. “You can come with your friends, you can do crafts, you can do yoga or play games. There’s always so much to do here, and I think a lot of teens don’t realize that.”
To learn more about all the wonderful teen programs, resources, and services the Library offers – including volunteering – visit nolalibrary.org/teens.
August 21, 2026
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Khiry Armstrong is a New Orleans-based teacher, actor, and rapper, who performs as Kaye the Beast. His 2021 album The Spaceman was among the 35 albums to first grace Crescent City Sounds’ collection.
August 19, 2026
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Explore controversy during the women’s suffrage movement in Louisiana through a peak into historic newspapers.