Each month we invite patrons to Meet the Staff. As Kim explains below, this is an important month for her. We at the library are happy that she is here and the enthusiasm she brings to the Library.
March 31 actually marks my 3 year anniversary working at the library, so it is fitting that I am Miss March for OFPL’s Meet the Staff!
I wanted to work at O’Fallon Public Library because I love to read and learn, and I get to help others find what they need for personal growth and entertainment. Though I recently became a Shiloh villager, I grew up in O’Fallon, and I was excited for the opportunity to work in the city in which I spent most of my life and love so much.
I am a big fan of organization, so I enjoy keeping order to all of our materials. When I have re-shelved all of the books, I love sneaking to the stacks to shelf read. My coworkers are such amazing, funny, creative, compassionate people, and they make coming to work a fun experience. Helping patrons find what they need and suggesting new titles are exciting moments for me, especially when I can recommend horror movies. The personal atmosphere of this job keeps everything fresh and rewarding.
I cannot choose one favorite book or author, and my taste is eclectic. I read a lot of non-fiction and humor (Dave Barry is one of my favorites), but I also like Stephen King, Billie Letts, and Amanda Connor’s Harley Quinn graphic novels. Some of my favorite characters from childhood include Ramona Quimby, Junie B. Jones, and the kids from Wayside School.
I started college at SWIC and earned my Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Lindenwood University-Belleville. I am a decoupage artist, a Hufflepuff, and a lover of all things horror and Halloween. After loving our golden retriever, Goldie, for nearly 14 years and filling the void of her passing with many fish and a crawdad named Penelope, my family adopted Sookie, a King Charles cavalier spaniel and poodle mix who I named after Sookie Stackhouse.
My favorite season is autumn because the weather is perfect and it is home to Halloween. I love cuddling up in a blanket outside in the chilly but not cold air with a hot drink and a good book. October leaves possess the most beautiful colors and I find the sound of crispy leaves crinkling down the street in the wind relaxing. I still love to dress up for Halloween each year, and the library allows us to dress in costumes on “Freaky Fridays” in October. I am a pretty reserved person, but dressing up allows me to express a more creative and outgoing component of my personality.
It should be no surprise that I also favor horror movies. I can watch The Conjuring, Trick R’ Treat, Halloween, Psycho, Children of the Corn, and the Evil Dead trilogy over and over. My go-to movie is the cartoon of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree; I own about 10 VHS copies of this movie, and I will continue to buy them until I have them all! Even creatures of the night such as myself enjoy non-macabre entertainment, too. My tastes in television range from RuPaul’s Drag Race to Cupcake Wars, Call the Midwife, Hey Arnold!, Degrassi, and True Blood, but my all-time favorite show is Roseanne.
The O'Fallon Public Library News 