52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 19

Week 19:

The theme for Week 19 is “At the Library.” Any librarians in the family tree? What about a fantastic find you’ve made at the library? This is a good week to write about it.

I'm the Librarian, it's me! 

No, really! 

I have a Master's in Library Science and Information Studies with a minor in Archiving and Local History. Thanks, Clarion!

I currently work for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals as a Branch Librarian for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, and Harrisburg). This Memorial Day will be my 8th anniversary with the court.

I cut my teeth at the York County Library System. I started volunteering at the Red Land Community Library at the ripe old age of 17. My high school bestie, Tory, volunteered at the library and I thought it would be fun to join her. I was a Junior in high school and failing Geometry (Thanks, Ms. Wolf for giving me a passing grade!). I was starting to worry about SAT scores and college applications. That was when I decided that I was going to be a Librarian! I loved books, I loved the library, I loved the Librarians that worked there, and I wouldn't need high-level MATH! 

During undergrad, I got a summer internship at Martin Memorial Library in York (thanks, Miss. Nancy!). During grad school, I got a part-time gig as a Senior Library Assistant at the Art Institute of York and then ended up back at the Red Land Community Library as a Library Assistant. My library journey had come full circle! 

My first memory of the Red Land Community Library is when my grandpa told me about his favorite book from grade school - Kazan by James Oliver Curwood. My dad took me to the library to get a library card and check out Kazan and Baree, Son of Kazan. They were the first two books that I ever checked out from the York County Library System. 

I genuinely and naively thought that I would work at the Red Land Community Library forever. But sadly working at a public library part time didn't pay the bills or the student loans. I started a spreadsheet and tracked over one hundred job applications and multiple failed interviews over the course of six months. 

In a Hail Mary attempt, I applied for a Federal Library position with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. At 24, I became a law librarian, and threw myself in learning about historical statutes and legal research. 

I still volunteer for the Red Land Community Library. It will always be home base. I've made life long friendships, watched kids grow up, and read a lot of amazing books (for FREE, because I have a library card). 













Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reintroducing Jeremiah Miley Spahr, Sr

Image
Reintroducing Jeremiah Miley Spahr, Sr. For years, I've been searching for a photograph of Jeremiah and haven't been able to find one until today!  Looking through a drawer full of pictures, I found a photograph of Jeremiah amongst pictures of his daughter, Amanda.  Jeremiah Miley Spahr Sr 19 Jul 1840 – 26 Nov 1926 3rd great-grandfather Jeremiah Miley Spahr was born on July 19, 1840, in Warrington Township . Jeremiah Miley Spahr joined the military on September 19, 1861, in York, Pennsylvania, when he was 21 years old. Unfortunately, after the Third Battle of Winchester, Jeremiah's story takes a dark turn. https://a.co/d/40ArEsU https://yorkblog.com/cannonball/a-murder-in-warrington-townshi/ ARREST ON THE CHARGE OF MURDER. On Friday last, Jeremiah Spahr, Henry Spahr, Levi Reirer, Lewis Spaht, and Lewis Rester, of Warrington Township, York County, were arrested and brought to this Borough, charghed with killing a certain colored man whose name is unknown, but who came into t...
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 6

Image
  Week 6: The theme for Week 6 is “Surprise.” What ancestor dealt with a surprising thing in their life? Any stories of surprise birthday parties? How about the most surprising thing you’ve found or something in a surprising place? I am the creator of the Facebook group, Preserving the History of Newberrytown. My family has ties to Newberrytown dating back to the 1700s, which was way before it was even called Newberrytown. My grandparents knew everyone. My parents knew everyone. I grew up knowing everyone. The joke was always, "Be careful who you date because you might be related!". A few years ago I attended a presentation at the Red Land Community Library. Scott Mingus, renowned Civil War author, was giving a talk on murder mysteries, based on his book Marauders & Murderers: Civil War Mysteries of York County, Pa.  Scott started recounting the story of  Jeremiah Miley Spahr , a soldier from Company H of the 87th Pennsylvania who had walked back to his home following...
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 24

Image
Week 24: The theme for Week 24 is “Artistic.” Is there a painter, crafter, quilter, knitter, crocheter, or musician in the family? This is their week. Dora Elizabeth Casini DeJoesph  Born: 16 Feb 1930 Hersey, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA Died: 21 Oct 2014 Texas Dora Elizabeth Casini Coleman DeJoseph was my paternal grandmother's sister. My great aunt Dora was a chain smoker. Growing up, the only time I remember seeing her without a cigarette was when she was crocheting Afghan blankets. She lived in Oregon and would fly to Pennsylvania for family visits. She couldn't smoke on the plane, so she'd crochet to occupy her hands. She couldn't smoke inside of our house when she visited, so she crocheted. She could whip up a blanket in record time! Everyone in the immediate family had at least one of Aunt Dora's handmade Afghan blankets.  She was a talented and longtime seamstress. She made custom draperies and bedspreads for movie and TV shows such as `Golden Girls...
Read more