It takes a village they say. Here at GCPL we are proud of our team. They contribute in various roles to keep library operations smoothly rolling along. They are valued members of the community. The #MeetGCPL blog highlights a library team member and lets you get to know them a little bit more, so when you see them at your local Branch you can connect further.
For this #MeetGCPL we would like to introduce you to Samantha. Samantha grew up in Canton, Michigan which is a suburb outside of Detroit. She currently works at our Administrative Center as an Collection Development Librarian
-Favorite Place to Vacation:
Anywhere! I love to travel so how do you pick?! Some of my go-to places though are Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mackinac Island, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
-Favorite Way to Spend Spare Time:
I love taking walks around the neighborhood with my pup or meeting up with some friends for longer hikes on the weekends. I also enjoy watching movies and shows (currently binging The Crown…finally), crafting, doing puzzles, reading, playing board games, trying new restaurants, and cooking/baking. I also just got a kayak so I’m hoping to spend a bunch of time this summer doing that!
-Favorite Book:
How does a librarian pick?! There are so many to love but I generally consider Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to be my favorite. It’s the only book I’ve read at least a half-dozen times.
-Something She Would Love to Learn How to Do:
I’ve always wanted to learn a language. Someday I’d like to re-visit Spanish or try German….someday.
-Fur Babies:
I have a cat and a dog. Alley is my 12-year-old tabby that I’ve had since she was a kitten. She’s chubby and a cuddler. Fitzwilliam “Fitz” Darcy is my pup. He’s a Coonhound mix that I adopted from the APL 5 years ago. He’s energetic, smart, very food motivated, and loves hikes more than anything (especially if he can find something foul to roll in… much to my chagrin).
-Something She Thinks Everyone Should Do At Least Once In Their Life:
Travel to another country. I think traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new things is the most important thing. Plus, it’s so much fun!
-Her Most Memorable Library Experience:
I grew up going to libraries! Mondays were our days with dad when he’d pick us up from Catechism class, take us to McDonald’s for dinner (he does love his junk food), and go to the library. It was one of his favorite places.
In middle school we all hung out at the library branch across from school in the afternoons. Now, having been a teen and youth librarian and having to deal with sassy groups of kids, I wish I could go back and apologize to the librarians there! Maybe this is karma biting me in the butt?!
-Currently Reading:
Currently, I’m reading the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid on Overdrive audio for my book club and That Thing about Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar in print. I generally have an audiobook and physical book going at any given time and cycle between kid/teen lit, chicklit/romance, suspense, and non-fiction.