Jane and Carine

Over the summer months Jane Blackburn and Carine Mattix were welcomed to the 

“Ashe Library family.”

The Ashe Library Board hosted a reception for Jane Blackburn, new regional director.

Kathy Chefas, Jennie Bush, Karen Moll, and Jane Blackburn

Jane Blackburn, former director of Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, came on board as Director of Libraries for the Appalachian Regional Library System in July. Her early years in the library field began as a bookmobile driver. After taking on more job responsibilities she began studies at NC Central University, graduating with a library science master’s degree in 1998. 

 Her first order of business is to develop a five-year plan based on community needs. Another goal she has is to revamp the region’s website and working with county librarians to improve websites for each library. Apart from working in the library, Jane enjoys cooking ... not baking, gardening, and like any typical librarian; reading. Her favorite books to read are British murder mysteries, science fiction and fantasy. In fact there is a quote in her office taken from Frances Bacon’s Essays that reads: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” We are excited to have Jane leading our libraries and are enjoying working with her.

Jane Blackburn, Regional Director with Clint Johnson, FOL President

 Carine is a new circulation assistant coming originally from Switzerland and most recently from Houston, Texas. She has lived in several states, although she became attached to North Carolina, particularly Ashe County because it reminds her of Switzerland in many ways. Carine has a degree in social work and specialized education, but since moving to the United States she has mostly worked in university and public libraries. When asked what she most likes about libraries, Carine replied, “I have always found working in libraries very rewarding. The interactions with patrons are rich, and being surrounded by books reminds me that there is always something new to learn and discover. I find that very invigorating.” Carine’s hobbies include running, knitting, crafting, jewelry making, and gardening or yard work. She also shares an interest in bee keeping with her son and hopes to become a bee keeper this spring. As far as reading, Carine enjoys historical fiction and is lately reading a series by C.J. Sansom about a lawyer named Matthew Shardlake. And according to Carine there is no better snack to indulge in while reading than dark chocolate or strong cheese. 

Carine Mattix, circulation assistant

  Lovin' it!