Introduction

Hi, there. My name is Carol Exner and I am a retired librarian-puppeteer. I love using puppets in the library, at story times, special performances, and just about any time or place I can think of for using puppets.



But it wasn't always that way. I followed a noted puppeteer in my job at a branch library, so I felt intimidated by her notable skills and artistic abilities. Worse, the first time I used puppets in a performance was at my job interview! Horrors!! Traumatized, I hid from puppets for the next year and a half or so.



Thanks to my predecessor, I had a closet full of great puppets she had bought or made. There was a little theater --- made for kids, really --- and oceans of good will. What I lacked was experience, nerve, and a way forward.



That changed over the following months, so much so that in my seventh year on the job I took a sabbatical to write a book about my knowledge of puppets. I was at a crossroads, I felt, and the best way for me to proceed was to write down everything I knew and go from there. Maybe in the writing, a way forward would be shown to me.



What I'd like to share with you in the days to come is some of what I learned. If you want to learn about puppets or learn more about them, this is a good place to start.