Behind-The-Scenes Steward: How Cayla Broseus Keeps Our Stories Moving

If the library is the heart of our community, then Collection & Access Services is what keeps it beating. This team keeps the library's collection in constant motion, connecting people with the books, movies, and resources they love.  Yet, if you ask Cayla Broseus- who just celebrated her ten-year milestone as a full-time staff member at Teton County Library- the ultimate sign of her team’s success is invisibility. 

“If the system works really well, patrons don’t feel the need to see it,” Cayla explains. “That means we’re doing it right.” 

Cayla is a Senior Library Assistant in Collection and Access Services (a department formerly known as Technical Services, though staff still use the terms interchangeably). Along with team members Tara and Jennifer, Cayla acts as a steward of the physical objects that stock our library. From the moment a book is chosen for the collection by one of the library’s selectors to the moment it slides onto a shelf, Cayla’s hands help shape its journey. 

The Work

Selectors in youth and adult services curate lists of desired titles. Cayla and her team order the books, and when the shipments of new materials arrive at the library, the team receives them for processing. Each item receives a barcode and an RFID tag. This is the step in the process that allows the books to be traceable and officially a part of the Teton County Library collection. This modern technology also makes the front-of-house experience seamless. The RFID tags, for instance, work like a ski pass. “You can set a stack of books right on the self-check machine, and it reads them all without needing to scan each barcode individually,” Cayla says, “it’s especially a lifesaver in the youth wing, when families are checking out 30 books at once.” 

Cayla also performs ‘copy cataloging,’ pulling official data from the Library of Congress or other records to ensure patrons receive accurate information when searching for a book on the library’s online catalog WyldCat. 

These roughly 200-250 new items per week then make their way to the circulation room and eventually into the hands of library patrons. By year's end, Cayla and her team will have prepared well over 10,000 new items for circulation.

A Decade of Dedication 

Cayla’s path to librarianship was organic. Her love for books started as a child. While many children spent summer afternoons outside, Cayla was happiest wandering library shelves, discovering one story after another.  She began her career working in circulation in Missouri and later earned her Master of Library Science (MLS). Her journey at Teton County Library started as a part-time volunteer and transitioned to a full-time employee. Over the last decade, Cayla has worked in nearly every department, including adult services, youth services, and interlibrary loans. 

This deep, cross-departmental experience makes her a rare asset.“Cayla’s curiosity and her drive to understand the ‘why’ behind our work inspire everyone around her,” says Library Director Kip Roberson. “Her commitment to continued learning and professional growth strengthens our library every day.”  

What it Means to Be a Library Steward

Library stewardship takes many forms. Some staff members connect directly with patrons through programs like Storytime or the Library on the Go outreach van. For Cayla, being a library steward is simply to “help the library continue to be a place for people to find stories.”

Every shipment she processes, every barcode she applies, and every catalog record she verifies helps make that mission possible. Cayla's stewardship is rooted in her deep love for books. An avid, eclectic reader, she is often reading multiple books at once. “I can’t own every book that I want to read,” she laughs, “but all the books I could want are right here for free.” 

Her broad literary appetite makes her incredibly skilled at reader’s advisory, helping patrons track down their next favorite book. That's exactly how Cayla measures success. After ten years of dedicated library service, she works behind the scenes- seamlessly moving thousands of stories into the hands of the readers who want them. 

“I just love the day-to-day stuff here,” she said. “I love the books.”