Meet the Staff - Allie B.

Posted by Allie B. 

How long have you worked at the library?
For about 3 months now!

How many items do you have checked out right now?
Umm….about 15. I have a lot of books out for school. I, Tituba by Maryse Conde, Emily Dickinson books…I also have a book checked out about the spirituality of the Yazidis.

How many items are on your hold list?
I think I have 3 items on my hold list—2 fiction (a Dr. Who book (Forever Autumn) and In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell.

What book can you read again and again without losing interest? Why do you still read it? Oh, that’s a hard question and I could pick plenty of books, but I would have to pick The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It’s a mash-up telling of the fictional and historical Dracula, with two interweaving stories in its narrative. It’s well-written, intense, but long (it’s 500 pages, at least) novel, but definitely worth the read.
If you were a literary character, who would you be and why?
Hands down, Jane Eyre from Charlotte Bronte’s novel of the same name, Jane Eyre. Jane is awesome because of how brave she is, because she sticks to her principles despite whatever hardships life throws at her.

What aspects of the library do you think are underutilized?
I think the digital components of the library are definitely underutilized. The app Hoopla is an amazing product – they have current comic issues in digital format, audiobooks, movies – all for free, and can check out 6 per month. Right now I am listening to Old Souls, a non-fiction book about reincarnation, by Tom Schroder and a lecture by American Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman.

What is your favorite book format (book, audio, mp3, e-reader, etc.)?
I am a huge fan of audiobooks, particularly radio dramas. One of my favorite audiobooks is actually in our catalog – John le Carre’s The Looking Glass War. It’s about the British home and foreign intelligence service during the Cold War, and what human aspects impact and mold the war.

What is your favorite aspect of working at the library?
The atmosphere. The staff here is pretty helpful and nice, and accommodating in the sense that they will take the time and have the patience to show or help you with anything you need instruction in.

What is your guilty reading (or listening) pleasure?
Oh, probably still reading children’s books.

What books do you feel guilty for not having read?
War and Peace

Have your reading habits changed since working at the library? If so, how?
Yes. I read more thoroughly now, as well as in larger chunks of time.

What is your perfect reading environment? Dead quiet, lying down, with my cat near me.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what single genre of books would you want with you?
I would want to bring either some sort of folklore/ghost story/or mythology book with me.

What was your favorite children’s book when you were a child? What is your favorite children’s book now?
I have a lot…I loved the Animal Ark series, particularly the Animal Ark: Hauntings series. The series follows a young girl, her friend, and the girl’s parents (who are veterinarians) as they deal with the struggles, surprises, and joys that come with being animal doctors in England. I also loved the Goosebumps series, especially the “Choose Your Own Fate” books. My two favorite children’s books now are Bunnicula and D'Aulaire’s illustrated Greek Mythology book.

Before you worked here, what was your worst library transgression?
I did not pick my library books at one time...they had been on “hold” for me for a while.