Meet the Librarian: Tiffany, Circulation Librarian

Name: Tiffany Taylor

Position at the library: Circulation Librarian

1. How long have you been at APL?  7 months

2. What’s your favorite thing about APL? The staff. I’m incredibly blessed to not only find my co-workers tolerable, but to actually LIKE them all, too! Not many people can say that about their job.

3. What is your favorite book and why? My favorite books EVER would have to be the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I didn’t read them until I was in college, but they got me reading again after being burned out from all the horribly boring textbooks I was having to read at the time. I’ve read them several times and all the characters honestly all feel like long-lost friends to me. I can’t say that about many other books.

4. Do you have any other book or author recommendations? The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth, and any book by C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, and Mo Willems.

5. Do you have any hobbies? (Besides reading?) I watch a lot of Netflix with my hubby (that’s a hobby, right?) and I love to play board games. I like to play volleyball and racquetball as well, but I don’t really get to play anymore, so those are probably more a hobby of the past.

6. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be? Perhaps a high school English or History teacher. Or to go in a different direction, I wouldn’t mind working for a non-profit working with homeless or foster children and teens.

7. What’s your favorite food? Panang Curry and Crème Brulee. I can’t get enough of either.

8. What is the funniest experience you’ve ever had at the library? Just last month I watched as a mother and her child were walking to the desk to check out their items. The mother warned her child to watch out for the display case since he was headed straight for it. Then she warned him again, and two seconds later everyone in the library heard a loud thud as the kid walked straight into it. He briefly cried, then was of course fine. Meanwhile, the mother and I tried not to crack up in front of him.

9. What does your dream library look like? Spacious, colorful, lots of comfy lounge chairs and study rooms, and a lot of happy people walking around.

10.   Talk about other stuff you like (movies, TV, music, games, etc.) Super Mario Brothers and Just Dance on the Wii, Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Ticket to Ride, Killer Bunnies, Balderdash, and many other awesome board games, How I Met Your Mother, any British murder mystery, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. This list could go on forever, so I’ll just stop with that.

This one time, in the stacks...

Meet the Librarian: Cheri, Assistant Director

Name:    Cheri Nienke
Position at the library:    Assistant Director/Collection Development/Cataloger

1. How long have you been at APL?  I’ve worked here fourteen years.  Total in libraries? 24 years.

2. What’s your favorite thing about APL?  The beautiful building, the great staff, and the patrons and books.

3. What is your favorite book and why?  There are so many it’s hard to choose.  When I was twelve, I read “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell.  It was my first inkling that unconventional women can make choices and live their lives independently.  It changed how I see the role of women in the world.

4. Do you have any other book or author recommendations?  I really like Wally Lamb-his book “I know this Much is True” is an incredible book about brothers.  Mary Doria Russell’s ‘The Sparrow’ posits the question-“If we discover alien life on distant planets, is it our job to school them in our religious beliefs?”, and I like Elizabeth Kostova’s story ‘The Historian”, a creepy tale of vampires and Vlad the Impaler.

5. Do you have any hobbies? (Besides reading?)  I make non-traditional quilts, create wearable art, am interested in the Steampunk movement, love to bake, but mostly enjoying playing with my grandkids as often as possible.  And I have to add reading, because I read every day-usually 4-5 books a week.

6. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be?  Working with children.

7. What’s your favorite food?  I love homemade spaghetti and French bread.

8. What is the funniest experience you’ve ever had at the library?  We had patron visit us in the winter once wearing a bathrobe. He insisted it was a coat.

9. What does your dream library look like?  I work in my dream library every day.

10. Talk about other stuff you like (movies, TV, music, games, etc.)  I like Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, [yes, shades of the 60’s]-we had THE BEST music ever.  But I also like Mumford & Sons, Maroon 5, Adele and other current musicians.  I like anything by Joss Whedon . Best movie moment? Not one word was spoken, but the emotion conveyed was absolute-and I think everyone felt it.  “Saving Private Ryan”.  The mother is washing dishes at the sink, and the military vehicle comes down the country road to tell her that three of her sons died on D-Day. I play a lot of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders right now. ;o)

Caught reading in the stacks again...

Meet the Librarian: Karyn, Administrative Director

Name: Karyn Schemm
Position at the library: Administrative Director

1. How long have you been at APL?  13 and ½ years

2. What’s your favorite thing about APL?  Our fun and friendly atmosphere

3. What is your favorite book and why? How could I pick just one? But I do read everything I can on JFK and Jackie Kennedy

4. Do you have any other book or author recommendations? Gillian Flynn

5. Do you have any hobbies? (Besides reading?) Motorcycle riding and camping. I just love being outdoors. My husband and I ride a Harley. I navigate, but do hope to get my own license someday. We have taken some long trips on the bike and hope to take many more in the future.

6. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be? Something in banking…(is anyone surprised?)

7. What’s your favorite food? Glazed, smoked ham

8. What is the funniest experience you’ve ever had at the library? In our old building we had a sign on the bathroom door that said, “passports processed Mon-Fri, 9-3”. One day as a young woman started to open the bathroom door she turned to us and asked, “Do I need a passport to use the bathroom?”….there are many stories about that bathroom because it was right across from the circ desk……

9. What does your dream library look like? After working in the old library for 8 years, this building IS my dream library…..maybe with some more storage space :)

10. Talk about other stuff you like (movies, TV, music, games, etc.)  I listen to rock music. My favorite bands are Shinedown, Volbeat and Otherwise.  I enjoy attending concerts with my husband and daughter. I am a huge fan of the TV shows Nashville and Grey’s Anatomy. But my favorite was Breaking Bad….so long Heisenberg! And like so many other people, I am hopelessly addicted to Candy Crush…..and on Sunday afternoons,  it is all about FOOTBALL!

Karyn handles the logistics of running a library, like ordering office supplies, paying the bills, and keeping the other librarians in line. We couldn't do it without her!

Meet the Librarian: Tom, Library Director

Do you ever wonder about the people running your library? In this new blog post series, we'll highlight a different staff member each month. First, we'd like to introduce our new director, Tom Taylor, who only recently started working here at APL and does not yet know what he's got himself into.

Name: Tom Taylor

Position at the library: Director

1. How long have you been at APL?  1 week

2. What’s your favorite thing about APL? It's an exciting opportunity for me because this is a fantastic institution.

3. What is your favorite book and why? That's a tough question. Who has just one? I suppose it depends on when you ask. Right now, it's Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. I first read that as a college student in Greece so it has personal meaning to me.

4. Do you have any other book or author recommendations? For a living author, I recommend Neil Gaiman. he has a wonderful, vivid imagination, rooted in literature and folklore. Otherwise, I recommend Fyodor Dostoevsky, for the great dialogue and the cerebral nature of his works. 

5. Do you have any hobbies (besides reading)? I enjoy following certain sports. I like IndyCar racing and I'm a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. I also enjoy college sports (though I won't say which teams... yet). And I have two young boys, so they take up most of my time.

6. If you weren’t a librarian, what would you be? Definitely a teacher. History, at the middle school or high school level.

7. What’s your favorite food? Coconut. I like coconut anything: coconut treats, coconut desserts, coconut water... I cook with coconut oil. I love coconut.

8. How did you end up in the library field? My mom was the librarian at McPherson College, so I grew up around libraries, using libraries, but it still never occurred to me that I might go into the library field. Then, in grad school for history, I realized I enjoyed the research and the teaching, but I hated the writing. That eventually led to reference librarianship. Then I got a job at Newton Public Library. 

9. What does your dream library look like? Spacious, modern, clean, and busy.

10. Talk about other stuff you like (movies, TV, music, games, etc.) I like Doctor Who - I grew up on it, so I like the older stuff, but I've seen some of the new stuff as well. I like travel, learning. I used to enjoy video games, strategy games, and board games, but I don't have much time for that now. 

Welcome to the library, Tom!