Patrons coming into Lincoln Library will be seeing a couple of new faces, which is great! Unfortunately, this also means that there will be a couple of faces that will be missing, and missed, here at the library.
Judy McCullough passed her 10-year anniversary with the library this past May. She does almost all of the processing of materials coming through the door. Due to her longevity at her job and the knowledge it has brought her, she also does the job of encouraging patrons to return overdue items. With only three or four books or movies checked out, a patron may think that it is not that big of deal. Unfortunately, the total price of these materials could reach well over $100.00. If you multiply that times just 10 patrons, you will have more than a $1,000.00 worth of books and movies that have to be replaced or deleted from the catalog. After seeing this happen multiple times throughout her 10 years here, she works hard at reaching out to patrons with reminders of their overdue books and movies. She is awesome at her job and I don’t even want to imagine doing this without her!
Then we have Malorie Rausch; Malorie started here back in October and works full-time. It is absolutely essential that we have someone at the circulation desk who is personable with all age groups. We are blessed with the cutest newborn patrons, those who are in their 80s and 90s who are absolutely wonderful, and the most amazing group that falls somewhere in between. Malorie does a stupendous job in treating everyone in a friendly and helpful manner.
Sharon Bishop has been with us for a couple of years now. We have bits of time that fall outside of the block of 40 hours. On Mondays and Thursdays, we are open until 7:00 PM, and, of course, Saturdays. Sharon takes care of Monday and Thursday evenings for us. During the slow times, she is amazing with designing whatever needs to be designed. She has developed all of the pages for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, numerous signs, and even our Summer Reading Program T-shirts. Her talent for designing, familiarity with the library, and love of books have made her a valuable asset to Lincoln Library.
The two high school girls who trade off Saturdays are Audrey Bowen and Olivia Worsham. I guess I need to rephrase that; the two girls who trade off Saturdays are now high school graduates and will be leaving for college soon. Lincoln Library has been fortunate to have had these two girls work here the past two years. They have worked well together and covered for each other when one had to be gone. They are both responsible, but fun. They are serious, but happy. They are respectful, but sassy. We really hate to see them go; this will be their last week to work. They are totally equipped with what it takes to be successful, and we will watch with a great deal of interest as they maneuver their way through life’s maze!
Our new faces in the building belong to Emma Sawyer, daughter of C. R. and Karla Sawyer, and Josey Austin, daughter of Brian and Jackie Austin. I’m excited because it didn’t take long to realize we got ourselves another couple of good ones!
If you are in the library this week and Emma or Josey are working, give them a hello and a welcome. If Audrey or Olivia are working, give them a goodbye and wish them a happy life as they go in pursuit of their dreams!