Blog

The following is the continuation of the series in which I interview staff members of Topsham Public Library.

If you were to open the staff refrigerator you would see yogurt – lots of yogurt. One of Lynne’s lunchtime staples is yogurt. Usually, it’s the greek style yogurt, but on the day that I had the privilege of interviewing Lynne, she had decided to try a coconut milk yogurt. Coconut milk yogurt left Lynne Dazed and Confused about why anyone would make the stuff. Needless to say, there will not be coconut milk yogurt in the fridge anymore. After her experience with the stuff, Lynne might prefer a Tangerine, or a piece of Custard Pie, or perhaps even a Hot Dog.

It has been more than Ten Years Gone that Lynne has been with us. She tends to be one of the quieter members of our staff, but she knows her stuff and is always willing to lend a hand. In addition to being the Circulation Manager, Lynne catalogs the children’s items which is a detail oriented job, and you might find her from time to time helping Mariah with the children’s programs. She also liaisons with other libraries concerning a variety of situations, like a Communication Breakdown, when the need arises.

Lynne has many and sundry hobbies. Of course, she loves to read. Her first favorite book that she remembers, and she still possesses, is Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson. In the Evening, when not reading you can find her walking and hiking. She might be The Fool in the Rain you see walking on days of inclement weather and on beautiful days you might see her hiking Over the Hills and Far Away. No matter the weather, Lynne likes to Ramble On. She also enjoys knitting, beading jewelry, and pouring a Whole Lotta Love on her grandchildren. You will probably not find her cooking. Even though she has an Italian background, of which she is proud, she would prefer someone else do the cooking. Cooking, to her, might feel like hanging from the Gallows Pole.

Lynne would like to travel more and you will find her Down by the Seaside as she prefers The Ocean to the mountains. You might even find her as far a field as Kashmir, but with her Italian heritage I think she would spend a lot of time in Italy. When I asked her who she would invite to dinner if she could invite anyone in the whole world, Lynne’s great grandparents on her father’s side topped the list. These great grandparents died when her grandfather was six and he was left to live on the streets of Italy until he immigrated to the United States. (Perhaps her grandfather taught her an Immigrant Song of his own.) She would love to know more about them and their daily lives. Lynne would include Robert Plant, Sir Paul McCartney, Edgar Allen Poe, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, and Robin Williams to dinner as well.

Now what I am about to reveal is what I absolutely love about Lynne. As I mentioned earlier, Lynne is one of our quietest members on staff. She is petite, and subtle, and polite, always saying please and Thank You, and just goes about her business and helps who she can in Good Times Bad Times, so when I asked her what she would be if she could not be a librarian, I was a bit shocked at her answer. Lynne would love to be a singer rockin’ it out on stage! I knew she was a Rock and Roll music buff, and usually she’s humming or singing a tune, but I never saw that coming! She says she loves karaoke, so before I climb that Stairway to Heaven, I hope to hear her belt out a hit!

Here is a quick look back at the many happenings in 2015 at your Topsham Public Library!

Connie Bailey was the first recipient of the new Whitten Society Award.

Never mind Star Wars. The Teen Room hosted Chocolate Wars!

A smashing time was had at Steam Punk Stem Day!

We hosted our first, and won’t be our last, adult coloring night!

As always, the summer reading program was a hit!

We welcomed two new staff members – Sharon and Dave!

The Poetry Festival had a diverse and gifted group of poets!

And we all LOVE Big Truck Day!

Plus, we now have two telescopes available for circulation, Joy of the Pen saw a growth in application numbers, a bookmark making class was held through a collaboration with Maine Fiber Arts and we now have a volunteer helping people with genealogy searches!

This is only a smattering of what Topsham Public Library has to offer. For a more in depth look at what happened in 2015 pick up the Annual Report at the circulation desk or view it here. And make sure you check us out in 2016!

The year is coming to an end, and the new year is right on the doorstep. I don’t usually make New Year Resolutions. I avoid them like the plague because it seems to me that I am setting myself up for failure when I make a resolution. But this year, I do want to make some changes. I’m sure it’s just semantics, but I like thinking about changes and not thinking about resolutions. So, in no particular order here are some things I have been thinking about.

1. Time is not slowing down, if anything it seems to be speeding up. I don’t like that. I want to be more purposeful and slow myself down, even if I can’t slow time down.
2. I like to craft, and I am not going to start another project until I finish, or get rid of, the half-finished projects I have sitting around.
3. I am going to read that pile of books that has been sitting neglected next to my bed. They are books I want to read, but in my defense, it is difficult working the circulation desk at the Topsham Public Library and watching all these new, old, and interesting titles pass through my hands every day and not taking a few of them home.
4. I am going to spend less time with a computer on my lap or a phone in my hand.
5. I am going to find time for silence.
6. I want to fix up my garden so it is pleasant to the eye.
7. I am going to take one day at a time.
8. I am going to be more kind.
9. I am going to spend more time with my husband.
10. I am going to learn how to carve.

These aren’t goals that I think will make me a better person, or put me on the road to success. They are goals that take me to the type of life I want to lead. What about you?

The following is the next installment in the series in which I interview staff members of the Topsham Public Library. 

My main task at the Topsham Public Library is to cover the circulation desk. I welcome patrons as they enter, I help people find items they are looking for, I check in items and I check out items, I answer questions, and if I can’t answer their questions, I find someone who can. I also get to witness the children as the enter the library. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the children are eager to be here. Some enter shyly and quietly, while others make their presence known with an exuberant “Hi!” Invariably they will head for the fish tank, and then on to the train table. While making their way to the children’s section, I can hear the children talking to their parents, and one hundred percent of the time I hear them ask about Mariah hoping she is here.

Mariah is the most loved of our staff members. The children love her, the parents love her, her co-workers love her. If you haven’t figured it out, Mariah is the Children’s Librarian and I am not exaggerating when I say, the Topsham Public Library is blessed to have her.

Mariah is sincere in her concern for children and their development, and she is passionate about the role libraries play in a child’s growth. Mariah, weekly, has three story times geared to three different age groups. She also facilitates a book group for older children in grades 4 and 5; plus, she runs parent-child workshops and organizes other monthly programs for children.

But there is so much more to Mariah than what we witness here at the Topsham Public Library, and that is what I’m interested in!

When Mariah is not here and not in class (she is working on her Masters of Library Science), she might be found playing gigs with her bands. She plays guitar, piano, recorder, bass, mandolin, and doumbek AND she sings! If you are available, her band, Steamboat Gypsy, is playing an event at Fort Andross this Friday, December 18 from 6pm-8pm, and it is open to the public.

Like the rest of us, she loves to read, and her first favorite book she remembers is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mariah prefers nonfiction to fiction, but will take mystery over romance and drama instead of sci-fi. She would rather hold the book in her hands then read it with an e-reader.

As far as food goes, Mariah enjoys eat-in more than take-out. After much pondering, and perhaps changing her mind a time or two, Mariah would take vanilla over chocolate and cake over pie. Salad instead of soup, scrambled over fried, and mexican food before chinese food.

Mariah picks country over city and ocean over mountains; Apple over android, ukulele instead of accordion, and she prefers antique to new. And she one of her favorite sounds is the sound of rain. Mariah would choose Jason Bourne over James Bond and Superman over Batman. If she had a super power, she would like to read minds instead of being invisible. As well as her musical interests, Mariah also enjoys crafting, cooking, and participating in yoga on her off time. It was only under duress that she chose singing over dancing when I made her choose.

Mariah, usually very calm, friendly, and professional, can be giddy at times. And what would make her lose all sense of decorum, you ask? Mariah loves costumes and dressing up in costumes and Halloween just about sends her over the edge with anticipation and excitement. Mariah plans her costume weeks in advance!

When asked what she would do if she didn’t have to concern herself with cost, she said she would travel first to Ireland and then somewhere tropical. She also prefers Paris to London. When asked who she would invite to dinner if she could invite anyone in the whole world, she asked, “Would it be tacky if I said, my family?”

What I find most surprising in the most pleasantest of ways, is her answer to my question, “What profession would you be if you were not a librarian or a musician?” She said she would own a cake shop. I totally see her doing this! Mariah, whether in the kitchen or while crafting, can take a bunch of ingredients, or odds and ends, or bits and baubles, or notes and chords and make something beautiful.