Library Service: Inside & Outside

Janice DeBord brings the library to home bound patrons and 

April Durrence manages the circulation department.  

Janice Debord, born and raised in Ashe County, has served as outreach librarian for the last 11 years.   “I’ve met some very interesting people while working here, several retired school teachers.”    She travels the back roads of the county bringing books to homebound patrons.  “One of the best things about my job,” says Janice “is getting to know the people.”    Janis develops a personal relationship with each home bound patron.  She gets to know their reading preferences and is able to make recommendations about books they might like to read.  Many of these patrons don't get out often and enjoy a visit when she delivers their books.  Janice also takes books to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the county.  If you are homebound, or have a love one who is, and need good books to read be sure to call the library to get on Janice’s delivery list.

Janice spent over 40 years working at Sprague Electric and UCC, so working at Ashe Library is her “retirement job.”  She is married with 4 children and 6 grandchildren.  In her free time she enjoys taking pictures of old buildings and going to estate auctions.    Her favorite authors are Nicholas Sparks and Beverly Lewis.  She loves reading Amish fiction too.

April’s job as circulation manager involves not only supervising staff in her department, but also keeping up with library statistics and circulation records.  She also orders supplies and manages a supply line of the library’s budget.   April handles intricacies of the circulation department with grace and expertise.   Her previous experiences working for a law firm and managing tours of a historic tavern in Fredericksburg, VA provided a foundation for public service work.   When it comes to working in the library April stated,” There are always exciting things happening, so I am never bored.  I love working with my staff and co-workers, helping patrons find the book they are looking for or a new author they might enjoy. “

Naturally books hold a special place in every librarian’s heart.  As for April, “I spent my childhood exploring the world inside books and my imagination. I would always leave the library with a stack of books up to my chin … the stack grew as I did.”  Her taste in books leans towards “light-hearted and humorous or mysteries where the bad guy always gets what he deserves.”  Some of her favorite authors to read and re-read are Jane Austen, Ursula K LeGuin, Connie Willis, and Terry Pratchett.

April, originally from Florida, has lived in Ashe County and worked for the library since 2009.  She likes to “get crafty” and usually has some sort of project going on.  She teaches origami classes at the library and enjoys fiber art – spinning, weaving, dyeing, and felting.   Currently she is exploring a combination of fiber, collage, and paint to create some mixed-media work.