Library assistant retires with many memories

By Jessica Corriveau

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (15/10/2011) - Janna Munkittrick-Colton pulls a children's book from the shelves of the Belleville Public Library's children's section on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Munkittrick-Colton runs Tales for Two at the library, and runs her own puppet show business. Photo by Jessica Corriveau

“The world’s mine to do what I want.”

This is the new reality for 55-year-old Janna Munkittrick-Colton,

“I brought doughnuts in that morning and said ‘Freedom Day!’” she laughs.

Looking perfectly at ease in the children’s section of the library, Munkittrick-Colton cradles her coffee as she remembers the road that got her here.

She has always wanted to work at the library.

“The highlight of my week is doing the programs with those kids and teaching them to enjoy literature and to want to come back.”

With kids coming back years later to thank her for her storytimes at the library, it’s no wonder why Munkittrick-Colton greatly enjoys her work.

“We don’t know what kind of impact we have on kids. We just know that they like books and the little ones come in and they look for you because they know you’re that person, who will find the right books for them.” She gestures to kids reading on the brightly coloured mat across the room, just as a father and his little girl come up to her to ask where the Halloween-themed storybooks could be found.

“I ended up in the children’s area and once I started working there you couldn’t send me anywhere else,” she recounts, laughing.

Today, Munkittrick-Colton is immersing herself in a new art: puppeteering.

“I started writing in the ’80s. I wrote for my nieces. Then three years ago, I wrote my first puppet show for the library.”

With an excited gleam in her eye, Munkittrick-Colton talks about how it all started.

The library wanted a puppet show, so she did one for them. Then a few more.

Then for Literacy Day last January, a local school came up to her and said they knew of her puppet shows, and would she do one for them? And it began. From that point, she started writing. At first adapting titles she liked, then writing historical puppet shows for church functions, Quinte Ribfest, Festival of Tress, Canada Day celebrations, and other functions in the local area, even as far as a school in Sharbot Lake.

After receiving their first paycheque for a puppet show, Janna and her business partner said to themselves, “Oh this is cool.”
“We decided we’d start promoting ourselves,” says Munkittrick-Colton. Jan-Bo’s Puppets was born.

“It’s my part time career, and I’m just having a blast doing it. At this point, I want to become a better puppeteer. It’s a lot of fun.”

Asked what word her friends would choose to describe her, Munkittrick-Colton thinks before saying: Friend. “They all know that if they need me, I’m there.”

“One word that I would choose to describe my mom is ‘generous’. My mom takes the time to help others when they are in need, and also she shares her time and wisdom,” says Munkittrick-Colton’s daughter, Heather Colton. “She has taken care of me for over 17 years, she loves me with all of her heart and would do almost anything for me.”

Munkittrick-Colton looks away to think for a bit, before telling me about her daughter. “I’m proud of myself for bringing her to where she is.”

She smiles, and intertwines her fingers. “I want her to be like me when she grows up. And she’s on her way to being that way. She’s strong, she’s smart, she loves her mom, and we can talk about anything.”

Heather is applying to post-secondary schools to study to be a vet tech. “I want her to be an improvement on me, because I want her to believe she can be anything she wants to be. And I’ll go to any length to make sure that she does.”

With retirement a choice she can now make, Janna is looking forward to what the future has in store for her. “I’m enjoying now, and the world is mine to make the choices to do whatever I want to do. I can go back to school and do another career or whatever. That choice is mine now. And that’s really exhilarating.”

With a look around the library’s children’s area, and thoughts of her daughter, her puppets, and her liberated future in front of her, Munkittrick-Colton smiles, “I’m free.”