Highlighting local Librarians for National Library Week

by Dana Serum

April 12-18 is the time to celebrate National Library Week. The week is defined as a time to celebrate the contributions of our nations libraries and librarians, and to promote library use and support. Highlighted this week are some of the local Librarians and Library Aides within the surrounding school districts.

Meet Mary Kinne, Mondovi High School and Gilmanton High School Librarian
Mary Kinne been a Library Media Specialist for 30 years, and 28 of those years have been in Mondovi.
“I’ve always enjoyed reading and working with kids,” Kinne said.
Kinne said that some of the biggest changes she has seen the libraries in Mondovi include: switching from a traditional card catalog to a computerized catalog, and building and designing two new libraries.
“With the advent of technology and the ever increasing accessibility of computers, phones and tablets, we have gravitated to having more databases available for student use,” Kinne said. “Students at every level use them.”
The thing that Kinne said she enjoys most about her job are the students and the people she works with.
“It’s fun watching kids grow and change right before your eyes, becoming young adults with families of their own,” Kinee said.
When starting her teaching career in Mondovi, Kinne said she did a lot of coaching, working at sporting activities and life guarding in the summer. But when she adopted her daughter Amy, now a freshman at Mondovi High, she changed her coaching duties to chaperoning students on field trips, and most recently, with the high school band to Florida.
“Mondovi is a great place to raise kids. It’s quiet and safe. The kids are respectful and willing to help, which is a testament to all of the parents who have done a great job of raising their kids,” Kinne said. “Parents want their kids to do well in school, and so do the teachers. Teachers care about the kids in their classroom. All of that adds up to a community who wants their kids do well after high school.”
For the last three years, Kinne also has been the Gilmanton School District Librarian, working with Library Aide Judy Winsand. Working with Kinne in Mondovi are Ruth Accola as Elementary Aide and Tammy Denk, the Middle and High School Aide.

Meet Judy Winsand, Gilmanton Library Aide
When Kinne is not available in Gilmanton, the students are in the company of Judy Winsand. Winsand started as a Library Aide for Gilmanton High School in the fall of 1992, stating that her youngest child, Stacy, was a junior at the time and she had extra time on her hands.
“I thought this would be a good fit for me because I like kids, and I like to read,” Winsand said.
There have been major changes over the years that Winsand said she has adjusted to, going from just a couple of Apple computers in the library (that used to ‘crash’ regularly) to a library lab with 15 desktop computers.
“Almost everything is computerized now, from checking books in and out to cataloging the new books being added to our collection to taking Accelerated Reading quizzes and state tests,” Winsand shared.
Winsand said that the daily interaction with students is her favorite part of the job, and doesn’t mind the three flights of stairs she climbs every day to get to the upper level library.
“I enjoy trying to get students [more] interested in reading and helping them to get to know their way around the library,” Winsand said. “I also like helping to choose the new books along with our Librarian Mary Kinne.”
Winsand also said that she enjoys her time working with the staff at Gilmanton.
“Every one of them goes above and beyond what they need to do, to ensure that the students get a good education,” Winsand said. “I like the small-school ‘family’ where no one can fall through the cracks”.
Along with library duties, Winsand also enjoys scanning in the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch, and she also plays piano for the choir.
“I get to know the students when they’re younger and can then watch how they change as they grow up,” Winsand shared. “Also, playing for the choirs has been a wonderful learning experience for me. I’ve tackled music that I never would have tried otherwise.”
Winsand is also a member of the Dover-Gilmanton First Responders and the Dover HCE (formerly called Homemakers). Winsand also enjoys playing organ at her church, Gilmanton United Methodist Church.

Meet Meg Nord, Eleva-Strum Central Librarian
Meg Nord has been working as the Eleva-Strum Central Librarian since December 2014.
Nord said she has always been a lover of books and libraries, beginning with an elementary school library and a county bookmobile that came to the small town of 300 that she lived near.
“As a middle school teacher I often took my students to the library for research and enjoyed working collaboratively with the librarian,” Nord said. “When deciding to study for my masters, library science seemed the perfect fit.”
Nord said that one of the biggest changes is that the reference section of the library is all but gone; now students find much of their information on-line and in databases.
“As a librarian, one of my tasks is to teach students how to be efficient and smart users of this on-line information, how to find the best information, how to critically evaluate it and use it responsibly,”Nord said.
Nord described the best part of her job as developing a quality collection both in print and on-line, and helping students and staff to use and know about it.
“I love recommending books to students and working collaboratively with teachers to find needed resources for student assignments and projects,” Nord said. “I’m so fortunate to have such a fantastic job!”
Challenges that Nord has faced includes staying up-to-date with ever-changing technology and working to keep the quality of education strong despite dwindling resources.
Nord said in addition to working at the library, she hosts a radio program, The Children’s Hour, on Saturdays.
Also working within the E-S School District is Suzie Anderson, the Strum Primary Library Aide, Library Aide Tracy Phillips with Eleva Intermediate and Donna Traaseth, the Middle and High School Library Media Paraprofessional.