These blog posts give our community a chance to better know their friendly Willoughby-Eastlake Library employees. Meet Bethany Vernon, Circulation Supervisor at Eastlake Public Library.
Why do you love libraries? What is your earliest library memory?
I love libraries because there is something for everyone, whether it be books, DVDs, games, computers, or even our programs. Libraries are a safe space where you can do a variety of things as well. The best part: most of our services come FREE of charge!
My earliest/best memory of going to a library was when I was in middle school. My brother and I, along with a few friends, would all go to the Willoughby library to do our homework and hang out. When we finished our homework, we would talk with the children’s librarians. We loved the children’s librarians, and we would always ask them if there was anything we could help them with. They usually let us sort the colored paper for them. These interactions were what led me to want to work at the library when I was old enough. Thank you to Mrs. Rachael and Ms. Eason!
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love being outdoors, hiking or camping. I also love learning different crafts. I taught myself how to knit a few years ago and I just taught myself how to crochet. I picked up the book Bathtime Buddies: 20 Crocheted Animals from the Sea by Megan Kreiner and went home and made the jellyfish the same night I checked it out!
What is your favorite quote, passage, or piece of advice, and where did you read or receive it?
One quote that no matter how many times I read, sing, or see it that rings true to me is Michael Jackson’s lyrics from his song “Man in the Mirror”: “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change.” To me this means we are responsible for ourselves. We can only change how we do things, and how can we expect anyone around us to change if we aren’t willing to change ourselves? Change starts within ourselves. We need to be better to expect better.
What is a library “hidden treasure” that you want patrons to know about or know more about?
At the Eastlake library, I think our biggest hidden treasure is our Maker space! We have a 3D printer, Cricut, embroidery machine, and button makers…for now. The Eastlake library does plan on adding more things to this space.
Another hidden treasure of all of our libraries is our librarians. They are filled with knowledge on all kinds of topics and each one has a unique collection of interests that they are very informed about. Talk to your librarians and get to know them!
What are you currently reading?
Currently my son and I are in the middle of two books! The first being Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. My son read it last year in school and wanted to read it together with me. The other book we are reading is Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan. This is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympian’s series (and we plan on reading the whole series). I read this series previously along with Rick Riordan’s other series The Heroes of Olympus and I am super excited to be sharing it with my son!
Check out Sideways Stories from Wayside School: https://bit.ly/3RhdV60
Check out Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse: https://bit.ly/489rPNE
