September Library Card Sign Up Month: Spotlight on staff

Your name: Marilyn Horton

Title: Young Adult Librarian

Working @ the HPL library for 12 years.

1.     Describe working at Library in 3 words or less.

Educational, Social, Interesting. 

2.     What is the best part of your job?

I enjoy helping readers find just the type of book they are looking for. I also love working with the teen volunteers and kids during the Summer Reading Game. 

3.     Favorite recent reads?

All young adult novels!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi; Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer; Divergent by Veronica Roth; Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington.

4.     What is the most memorable reference question/request you've ever had from a patron?

I will always remember when it became apparent that a child who frequently visited the Children’s room in West Harrison when I was the Children’s librarian there thought that I had written all the books!  That moment and others like it made me realize that a librarian can be a larger-than-life, important figure to a child, and it led me to accept great responsibility for each interaction with every child.  

5.     A book about your life would be called?

My first words were meow and woof; the title could be Canine’s Calling or And the Meows Echoed.

6.     Something most people would not know about you:

I was not always a librarian! Being a teacher was one of my many jobs, and I have worked in the book business in many capacities as well. 

7.     Hobbies, talents, special interests:

I love dogs and cats and all animals.  I am interested in NO KILL and the ANTI PUPPY MILL movement and ANTI CHAINING for dogs. My heroes (so to speak) include Nathan Winograd, founder of The No Kill Advocacy Center and Tamira Thayne, founder of Dogs Deserve Better.  

8.     Three words to best describe you:

Sincere, honest, kind. 

9.     Ability you wish you had:

I wish I could draw well.

10.  Always wanted to try: 

Living with a pack of dogs!