Volunteer Spotlight June 2025

Q: Why did you start volunteering?

A: It just seemed the logical thing to do. Libraries have been a big part of my life since I was very young. The local library let me get books with my mother’s card before I was the age when I could have my own. Later they let me use my mother’s, father’s, and my card so I could check out more books than the usual limit.

Q: Has volunteering changed how you see the library?

A: Being able to really work with the librarians has allowed me to truly understand how strategic a library is to a community. Especially with the advent of the technological boom. My first library visit was to a Book Mobile Library so you can see that I had a lot to learn!

Q: What is something you would say to encourage someone else to volunteer?

A: Working in a library is similar to opening a door to knowledge in a myriad of topics. The books themselves, the people who come into the library, the amount of research and help that the librarians give readers, as well as the advantage that your brain has for keeping fit – which helps keep one’s body fit.

Q: Who is your favorite author?

A: So many books read in my life that I just can’t pick one Book or Author to recommend or as a favorite. While growing up almost each year (or less) I would find one or two that I raved about – and that fit where I was in my growth stage – both physical and intellectual- different genres for different times.

Q: Do you volunteer anywhere else in the community?

A: Yes, I volunteer with Blessings, my church, and with the Duval-Metz House to help restore and have the 1863 House available for visiting by the public. I work with the Floral City Heritage Council and the Floral City Friends of the Library.

Q: Tell us about your best vacation ever.

A: Best vacation ever? My husband, two daughters and I went to Norway for 2 weeks over the Summer Solstice of June 2021. We did so many marvelous activities that it would take a long time to relate them. One however, was a flight to the Lofoten Islands off the coast of Norway. We landed in Solvang and as we were touching down, we saw rows and rows of racks with something on them. They were codfish drying racks, an enterprise that has been going on for centuries. We also saw a Viking large hut which is being used to show visitors how people on the island lived- centuries ago. I recommend getting a book about Norway to see and read bout life in Norway long ago and now.