Clare – Library Associate
Worked for BPL Since: February 2017
Educational Background: Fashion Design Degree from Nottingham Trent University, England
Favourite Books: I love character driven books, children’s picture books and any book I can find about making art and food. Some of my favourites are ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio, ‘Ladies Drawing Night’ by Julia Rothman, ‘The Wonder’ by Emma Donoghue, ‘Harmony’ by Carolyn Parkhurst and ‘The Heart Goes Last’ by Margaret Atwood.
Favourite Authors: Anne Tyler, Fredrick Backman, Jamie Oliver, Roald Dahl, Lauren Child
Family and Pets: My family moved to St Louis from Nottingham, England in 2003. My husband and I have two fabulous sons, a dog and a cat. I am originally from Lincoln, UK which is a beautiful cathedral city.
Hobbies and Interests: I love to read books and I also enjoy making art in them and from them. I use many old books in my art journaling and will often use a book as a sketchbook or make a fresh book using my bookbinding skills which I am working hard on. The outdoors and exercise are very important in my life, I love a nice long hike or a tough pilates class. Thankfully with a house of hungry boys, I enjoy cooking and baking.
Gina – Library Director
Worked for BPL Since: September 2007
Educational Background: A B.A. in Language and Literature from Webster University, an MLS from UM-Columbia
Favorite Books: His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, Dory Fantasmagory, All the Birds in the Sky, The Queen of the Tearling series, arts and crafts books galore and home decorating books like Styled by Emily Henderson.
Favorite Authors: Kate Atkinson, Jandy Nelson, Lynne Rae Perkins, Hilary McKay, William Steig, and Brené Brown. I have a few illustrators that I love as well: Melissa Sweet, Chris Raschka, Christopher Robinson, Marjorie Priceman and William Steig again.
Family and Pets: I have a seven year old who is heavily into the Dog Man series. I can’t blame him for that. It’s good stuff. I have a German Shepherd mix named Beezus, after the character in the Beverly Clearly “Ramona” books.
Hobbies and Interests: I love fabric and occasionally sew what I buy.
Hilary C.- Lead Library Associate
Worked for BPL Since: September 2012
Educational Background: Agnes Scott College with a degree in Mathematics
Favorite Authors: Patricia C. Wrede, Jasper Fforde, Shannon Hale, Sharon Creech, Kate Klise, Tamora Pierce
Family and Pets: I have a beautiful golden retriever – corgi mix named Rosie, and I talk about her way too much.
Hobbies and Interests: I love arts and crafts, puppies, rewritten fairy tales, young adult novels and murder mysteries, all with happy endings. I also tutor math students in my free time, which is wonderful.
Kathryn – Library Associate
Worked for BPL Since: July 2011
Educational Background: A B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia, An M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Washington University.
Favorite Books: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite Authors: Jane Austen, Elly Griffiths and Jill Paton Walsh
Family and Pets: One cat (very sweet), name of Pandora
Hobbies and Interests: Volunteering, Reading and Animal Rescue
Maureen – Library Associate
Worked for BPL Since: May 2015
Educational Background: B.A. in English and a Writing Certificate from UM-St. Louis.
Favorite Books: Jane Eyre, Gone With the Wind, These Is My Words, Mansfield Park, Moll Flanders, To Kill a Mockingbird, Angela’s Ashes and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Favorite Authors: Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Roddy Doyle (and many more Irish writers), any personal essays, especially humorous ones by David Sedaris, David Foster Wallace, etc. Favorite Children’s Literature: L.M. Montgomery, Lenora Mattingly Weber, and Elizabeth Enright.
Family and Pets: I come from a large family that likes to play music together, so I’m always happy to talk CDs, music documentaries, concerts, anything of that nature. No pets at the moment, but I love both dogs and cats.
Hobbies and Interests: I play and sing in a few bands and am so glad to be a part of the local music scene in Stl. There’s a great sense of community within that, and so much talent in this town that there’s really something to do/see/hear every night.
Sarah-Youth Services Librarian
Worked for BPL Since: October 2018
Educational Background: B.S. in Sociology and a Master of Library Science from University of Illinois.
Favorite Books: I like reading across genres, but I’m typically drawn to non-fiction and graphic novels. Some of my favorites books are Stitches by David Small, A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Family and Pets: My two cats, Harvey and Foot Foot.
Hobbies and Interests: I enjoy rollerskating, listening to podcasts, reading, being outdoors, and baking tasty vegan cookies.
Susan-Technical Services Librarian
Worked for BPL Since: 1997
Educational Background: Master of Library and Information Science from University of Illinois
Favorite Books:
- The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
- Jane Eyre -Charlotte Bronte
- Farewell in Splendor: The Passing of Queen Victoria and her Age – Jerrold M. Packard
- Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
- The Complete Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
Favorite Authors: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.G.Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Paul Laurence Dunbar, P.C. Doherty, Stuart MacBride, Robert McCammon, and Barbara Hambly.
Family and Pets: I have a 15 year old daughter who is starting to ask about driving.
Hobbies and Interests: Reading, shopping, cooking, and learning new things.