By Olivia Shumaker
Special Writer for The Review
Q: Describe your job?
A: I oversee all the staff and, together, we determine what programs and services the library offers. I’m hired by the Library Board to administer their policies. This entails working with a budget and determining what we spend for our books. The fun part is seeing people enjoy using the library and getting the things they like from us.
Q: What do you like about Lake Orion?
A: I like the fact this is a community that’s responsive to positive growth and has a variety of people living here with different ideas. It’s just very friendly and a positive environment for people to live in.
Q: What’s something most people don’t know about you?
A: I think probably that I enjoy being around people. They often think librarians are quiet and reclusive. I’m very much a social person and enjoy helping other people.
Q: What’s one challenge you think is facing the community?
A: Obviously, I think, it’s the effects of a bad economy. We’re all having to make cutbacks at a time when public services are more needed than ever.
Q: What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
A: I would say The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s been popular with book discussion groups because it takes place before Civil Rights legislation was passed in the 1960s. It talks about life as a black maid in segregated states, and it does it without preaching. The book really makes you love the characters.
Q: How do you react to the crises facing libraries?
A: I’m very saddened. I think the general public loves and appreciates having a good library in their community as an indicator of the quality of life. The bookstores are closing, so where else are people going to go to see what is offered if they don’t have a library?