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 Mary Crotty. Mary is out Technology Trainer. Chances are you will see her working in or around our new maker space, the Inspiration Station, housed at our Bainbridge Branch.
Her Hometown:
South Euclid, Ohio.
Her favorite place to vacation:
I don’t have a favorite vacation spot, but I love to travel. My favorite thing to do is just wander around a city or town to find hidden gems.
How she spends her free time:
Knitted Wingspan Shawl
I spend my free time reading, writing, and crafting. I crochet, knit, cross-stitch, paint, and sew. I also Irish dance with Egan Irish Dance School and enjoy hanging out with friends (virtually, currently). My friends and I watch a horror movie every week and play role-playing games periodically. I also enjoy going to museums and the theater as often as I can.
Favorite book series:
The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman
One thing she would love to learn how to do:
I would like to learn glasswork and metalwork as those are two mediums I have never used before.
Fur Baby:
I have a black domestic cat named Guinness. He is five years old and very posh. Guinness loves to play hide and seek. He is also very chatty and chirps all day long.
Her library story:
I have a few wonderful memories in libraries:
– I loved visiting the South Euclid Public Library growing up when it was still in the Telling Mansion (an old mansion in the South Euclid area built in the 1910s and donated to the city once Telling passed. The library is now in a new location and the Telling Mansion is a ceramics museum I have yet to visit). I used to do the Summer Reading Program every summer. As a teenager, I would walk to the library and hide away in the Young Adult section for hours, just pulling books off the shelves and reading to my heart’s content. The mansion has a bunch of wonderful nooks and crannies, giving you quiet and privacy.
– I visited the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland which is breathtaking. I distinctly remember looking at all of the ancient books and feeling sad that you could not touch them since that would cause damage. They always have books on display to highlight parts of the collection though and I was able to see the Book of Kells.
– I visited the British Library in London, UK and saw the original manuscript of Beowulf. It had been saved for a long time, unnoticed for centuries. Then there was a fire in the 1800s and it was miraculously saved only for the experts to finally realize its worth as one of the oldest epics in English. The manuscript has charred edges from the fire and it is one of my favorite stories.
I am an archivist as well as a librarian, so I love seeing well-preserved manuscripts.
Favorite quote?
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.” – A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Currently Reading:
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
