Memphis Library Foundation Welcomes a New Intern!

Hey library fam, we’re excited to introduce you to our newest intern, Dominic Brown! While he’s between terms at Loyola University, Dominic is in Memphis helping us collect library stories, refine our social media presence, and assist our communications team. And keep an eye out, he might even pen a substack article or two!

Dive into our brief chat below to learn a bit about the newest member of the MLF family.

Tell us a bit about your background. Where did you grow up? What school did you go to? What are you studying?

Hey everyone, it’s nice to e-meet you! I am a recent graduate from Loyola University New Orleans, where I got my BA in Business Marketing and am currently pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration. I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, but I grew up in the Memphis area since I was around 1 year old.

What has your relationship to Memphis Public Libraries been like before you came on as our intern? Did you go to the library much when you were younger?

Growing up, the library was always a quiet place for solitude and focus to me. I could visit, collect my thoughts, and work on homework assignments. A lot of the time after school I would have activities that would go late into the night, but they wouldn’t start right away. I remember so many times where I would come to the Benjamin Hooks Library (which was just down the street from my school, way closer than my house was) to knock out homework before basketball practice or a club meeting. I could always focus there way better than at my house, where I would usually end up falling asleep or procrastinating. I owe a lot of finished homework assignments to this library!

I also did a couple of CLOUD901 workshops in high school through Bridge Builders, which were a blast. Honestly, there’s just so many different things to get out of the library!

What are some of your interests or talents? Maybe something unique about yourself that people don’t know?

One of my most prevalent talents is playing basketball. I have played my whole life, and I also played collegiate basketball at Loyola. A lot of my life has revolved around basketball, I even have an Instagram dedicated to it!

Some of my other interests include photography (which I’m excited to put to use for MLF!), fashion, marketing (same here!), cooking, and being in nature.

Something unique about me that most people don’t know is that I’m ambidextrous, always have been. My father is ambidextrous too, and I was just born that way. I do different things with different hands without even really thinking, like I shoot basketball with my left and write with my right hand.

What are you most excited to do with us through our intern program this summer?

I’m most excited to help promote the amazing events and opportunities that Memphis Public Libraries provides to the public. So many people overlook how multifaceted the library is, they think of it more as just a place to borrow a book. But it’s so much more than that!

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I always wanted to either play professional basketball or be a singer. Unfortunately I was never very good at singing, so that made the choice a bit easier for me! Basketball has always been a part of my life in one way or another, but at the end of the day I know that it’s just a vehicle to get me where I want to be. Basketball has been a vehicle for me because it’s given me an avenue to take me places all over the country. I’ve attended out-of-state schools on scholarship through Basketball, and it’s has provided me with connections to help meet my next professional goal: becoming a sports agent.

What’s your favorite book?

My favorite book of all time is one that I used to read over and over as a kid: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was always my favorite of the series, because I felt like it was the one with the most character development and growth. I loved how Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sacrificed themselves at different times to fight for the greater good, I could really feel that they cared about each other. Plus I enjoyed the simpler storyline the most!

Where is your favorite spot in Memphis to spend time and hang out?

I honestly have a couple favorite spots in Memphis. Let me turn you on to a few: I love Big River Crossing, Tom Lee Park, and Harbor Town. One of the things about me is that I really enjoy nature, and being able to walk or ride my bike through all these spots gives a really cool view of the city in a great light. They’re all also very peaceful, which is great when other things are moving too fast!