Our staff are our pride and joy! They keep this place running smoothly; making sure our community has the materials they need while offering original programming and library services for our treasured patrons. We’re excited to share more about the amazing staff who work at Wood Buffalo Regional Library in our blog feature: Staff Spotlight!
One of our Library Services staff, our mountain-roaming mindfulness sage, and voted “most likely to have a collection of aesthetically appealing agendas”, Sarah Clare, sat down with us for our next staff spotlight interview.
WBRL: What is your role at our library, and how long have you been working here?
Sarah: I am the Library Services Supervisor, so I work with the friendly faces that you see at the Service Desks on both floors. I work with the team who sets our patrons up with new library cards, checking out materials at the service desks, assisting with technology, helping patrons navigate the stacks or find their next favorite read. I’ve been with the library for almost 8 years now.
WBRL: What is your educational or professional background?
Sarah: I graduated from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Library and Information Technology Diploma in February of this year. I completed my studies as a part-time student taking classes online while working with the library.
WBRL: I’m writing down how proud of you we are.
Sarah: Awe, thank you!
WBRL: What is a library project that you are working on that excites you?
Sarah: I am in the middle of making a new training plan for our part-time employees. It seems silly to be excited about it, but the consistent information this plan will bring will make sure everyone is confident with helping our patrons and delivering enthusiastic library services!
WBRL: Describe a library memory or moment that has brought you joy. It doesn’t have to be from WBRL, it can be from when you were a patron at another library!
Sarah: It’s hard to pick just one… but I remember a child came in with her mother shortly after Christmas one year. The little girl brought her new iPad she received as a Christmas present to the service desk and said that she heard she could get library books on her iPad. I was able to walk them through how to create a Libby account, link her library card, and browse the shelves. I remember how thrilled the little girl was when she realized that she could read endless books on her new iPad, and the mother was grateful that we’d given her daughter an outlet to read endless books and nourish her love of reading at a young age.
I remember later that week I saw the mother and her daughter outside of the library and I heard the girl squeal in excitement “that’s the girl who helped me with my iPad!”.
It’s truly a heart-warming experience to know that what we do has such a profound impact on the community and we’re fostering a love of reading at such a young age.
WBRL: Do you have any talents that don’t get a chance to shine at the library?
Sarah: I like to organize self-care adventure weekends for myself where I escape Fort McMurray and go off, usually to the mountains, to enjoy some rest, relaxation, and to work on being my best self. I bring a journal, visit spas and libraries, and go on long hikes to soak up nature. My coworkers ask for photos and updates on these trips so I feel at this point, I could probably plan and create a trip like this for someone else. Sort of like a self-care booking agent.
WBRL: Is there a random subject that you are so knowledgeable about that you could write a whole book on it?
Sarah: I am a self-help connoisseur—from interpersonal relationships, nutrition, to women’s health, I’m all over the self-help section.
At this point, I could write a pretty good book myself!
WBRL: What is your current or last read?
Sarah: It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
WBRL: What is your favourite genre to read or watch?
Sarah: I jump from self-help books to dark academia and bibliophile fiction.
For those not aware, dark academia is a literary subgenre where the moody and gothic stories are set in elite scholarly institutions like boarding schools. Bibliophile fiction is a subgenre that is well-loved by many staff members! They celebrate the sanctuary of libraries and reading through characters who live in the stacks and the life-altering impact books can have.
WBRL: What was your favourite movie or book when you were a child?
Sarah: That might be a toss up between Matilda by Roald Dahl or Harry Potter by JK Rowling.
WBRL: Name a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again.
Sarah: Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Keep an eye on our blog to read more Staff Spotlight interviews!
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