Each month we invite patrons to Meet the Staff. This month we introduce Circulation Assistant Amy N. – Army veteran and former stay-at-home mom. Amy celebrated her one-year anniversary with OFPL in August.  She also volunteers with the Reading Counts program at her children’s school and is a co-leader of a local Girl Scout Troop.

I work in Circulation, so I am one of the first friendly faces you see when you walk into our building.  I wanted to work at the library because I love books! I love smelling books (most of them), I love the feel of a book in my hands, and I love the various colors and pictures that you can find on the covers. Working at the library is great because I get to see so many different things to read and see so many friendly people. My first week working here I became overwhelmed by books! Within the first month I had almost 50 books requested and almost 30 items checked out. That was just on my account; don’t even get me started on my kiddos’ accounts!

I have been reading for as long as I can remember. I was that child that stayed up all night reading with a flashlight when I should have been sleeping.  I grew up like Rory from Gilmore Girls; I always had a book on me. I cried when I got my first Kindle because I was able to carry so many books with me at one time. I enjoy all genres of books, but mostly read fantasy, horror/thriller, or murder mystery.

My favorite author is Stephen King. I have all of his books in hardback, though my favorite all-time book series is Harry Potter. I own Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 11 different languages.  I’m a sucker for YA books; Victoria Aveyard, Sarah J. Maas, Cassandra Clare, and Ransom Riggs are a few of my favorite YA authors.

I also love watching movies, watching TV shows, watching hockey (Go Blues!), playing video games, and playing board games. When I had cable, I would make a spreadsheet every fall to keep the days and times straight on which shows I watched each week. And my family tries to have family movie and/or game night once a week.

I am an Army brat.  I never lived in a place for longer than four years. I have lived in Texas, South Dakota, North Carolina, Illinois, and Germany. When I graduated from high school, I decided to join the Army myself. I was in for four years before an injury required me to get out. Though while I was in the Army, I was stationed in South Korea and North Carolina. I have lived in the Belleville and O’Fallon areas for around 15 years and it feels crazy to have lived in one place for this long.

I met my husband 14 years ago and we will be married for 11 years this year. I have two daughters that are the light of my life and three of the best pets ever; two dogs and one cat.

• The Librarian’s Guide to Notable Nonfiction
• Managing Your Mental Health One Day at a Time 
• Ashley is history
• Coming Soon!
• Fun Finds on the Holds Shelf