New Girls at the Library!

Over the summer months Ashe Library staff has been stretched thin.  But working as a team, employees were able to cover all the bases during this staffing shortage.  After reviewing applications and interviewing a number of potential candidates, two current employees were promoted in-house and three new employees were hired.  We are very pleased to promote Sarah Spanburgh to adult service librarian/manager and Carine Mattix to circulation manager.  There is no doubt that their new ideas and fresh perspectives will improve what the library has to offer.  And now with much enthusiasm I present the newest members of our team:

(L to R) Megan Northcote, Laura McPherson, Stacie Liddle

Stacie Liddle, an Ashe County native of the Crumpler/Chesnut Hill area, has recently begun working part-time in the circulation department.  Previously employed by Wal-mart, she has years of customer service experience and loves helping library patrons.  When comparing her new job to her old one she is especially happy about the “QUIET atmosphere” where new things are learned every day!  When not working she is busy with her two-year old.  She loves reading to her daughter, and although there isn’t much time to read for herself, she recommends Half-Broke Horses, a book by Jeanette Walls. Stacie’s other hobbies include gardening and hiking.  She also has a special interest in historical things and old houses.   

 

Megan Northcote, newest member of the youth services team, is multi-talented and energetic.  She was raised in Greensboro, and recently moved here from Asheville. As a banjo picker and quilter, she feels right at home in Ashe County.   She attended ASU and received a B.S. degree in public history and anthropology.  She also worked for a while as an interpretive park ranger, sharing stories with visitors at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro and the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock.  When in Asheville, she worked with kids at the YMCA after-school program in Asheville.  Megan enjoys writing and is already beginning to contribute to our library’s news blog.   If you read High Country Magazine or WNC Magazine, you might also catch one of her freelance articles. Currently Megan is taking online classes for her Masters in Library Science.   She sums up the best things about libraries by saying, “I love the sense of community that public libraries create, and especially here in Ashe County where there is such a rich cultural heritage to celebrate. The Friday Night Slow Jams at the library and the friendly library staff and patrons really create a welcoming atmosphere.”  She loves reading historical fiction and recommends her most recent read, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  Two of her favorite things are blustery blizzards and bunnies .. but not at the same time.

Laura McPherson joins the adult service department as reference librarian/information wizard.  She is a recent MLS graduate of UNC Chapel Hill. Her work history in a community college library, public library, and archiving provides needed expertise. Laura also serves as the library’s liaison to Wilkes Community College’s Ashe Campus.  Reflecting on what she likes best about her new job, Laura mentions, “I think the Ashe County Public Library is really good at providing a place for our community to tell its own stories through art, music, and writing.  The library also has an excellent genealogy and local history collection.  Because of collaborations with other local organizations and members of the community, it is a public resource in the truest sense!”  Her favorite authors are Amy Greene, Barbara Kingsolver, and Sharon Creech.  She recommends her favorite grown-up book, The Tall Woman, by Wilma Dykeman and her favorite children’s book, Little Bird, by Germano Zullo.  In her free time Laura likes baking, working crossword puzzles, watching Antiques Roadshow, and block printing.  She also enjoys writing poetry and lyric essays.  She is a Tennessee native, but has lived in North Carolina from the coast to the Piedmont.  Now living in the mountains, she looks forward to hiking and camping.  One of her favorite things is a box-style turkey call, made by her 92 year-old grandfather.  Some day she might actually use it to hunt a turkey!

Carine Mattix, Circulation Manager & Sarah Spanburgh, Adult Services Librarian