Welcome back to Behind the Stacks! December is bringing some exciting things for our library’s volunteer organization, the Friends of West Haven Public Library. In addition to their usual spring and fall book sales, this year they will be hosting a Holiday Haul-Away indoor book sale on December 13th! This is the perfect time to find a gift for a loved one (or just for yourself) before the holiday season begins. From 10am to 1pm, you can purchase a bag from the Friends for only $10 and fill it with all the books you can! From 1pm to 2pm the price per bag drops to just $5 each. The sale will take place in the community room of the Main Library.
December also ushers in the Friends’ annual “Light Up the Library” fundraiser! All month long, if you donate $10 or more to the Friends, your name, message, and/or business card will be displayed on our winter string lights at the library! Thanks to these book sales and fundraising efforts, the Friends have been able to sponsor our museums passes, the Library of Things, and a multitude of programs for all age groups.
Now it’s time to meet another one of our wonderful WHPL staff members: Kara Moore! Kara is the Technical Services Assistant for our library. Most of her days are spent cataloguing and processing all the books for both branches. She tracks and manages our inventory and provides support to the Head of Tech Services. She is also our Book Doctor, mending damaged books so they can be circulated again! Kara is usually downstairs in her office hard at work, but you might catch her delivering books to other departments or helping out in our Children’s Department (also known as the Graham Room).
Tell us about yourself: I spent 9 years working as a middle school science and math teacher. I like to keep busy, so I spent my extra time babysitting and nannying for families to make extra money. In 2021, I began working a part-time position in a library. In 2023, I started working in this position full-time and have loved every minute since. When I’m not at work I can be found reading, running anything from 5ks to marathons, backpacking/hiking, or touring a local museum. I have a lot of things I still need to see and do around here, because I’m not a Connecticut native. My husband and I are originally from Ohio, but we love living in Connecticut. Being able to easily travel and spend a night/weekend in NYC or backpacking part of the Appalachian Trail is the best of both worlds for us. In June, we became first-time parents, and this summer will hopefully be spent on adventures and making memories as a family.
What types of books do you like to read? I am a big mood reader, so when I pick a genre, I will read 4 or 5 books in that genre before moving on to the next. My favorite genres are fantasy, romance, and suspense/thriller. However, I love facilitating our Wednesday night book club, because it gets me reading outside of my comfort zone and loving books that I normally wouldn’t have picked up for myself.
Have you had any fun or interesting past jobs? In college I worked at a local Dairy Queen. It was the busiest one in the region, and at night my dreams would be filled with making blizzards and cones with the DQ swirl! I also ate A LOT of ice cream when I worked there.
Do you have any hidden (or not so hidden) talents? I can solve a Rubik’s cube in about 90 seconds. It took me months of practice to learn!
Do you have any pets? I always wanted a dog when I was growing up but never had one. When I was little, my dad asked me what kind of dog I wanted. After thinking hard for a minute, my response was, “A brown one.” After college, I adopted a dog named Rico. And yes, he’s a brown one. A few years ago, I inherited a cat, and while I’ve never seen myself as a cat person, she fits into our family in a spot I didn’t know was missing.
Do you have a favorite place to travel to or wish you could visit the most? My goal is to visit all 50 states and so far, I’ve been to 32 of them. I would also love to spend more time in Europe because each time I go, I find new places and foods that make me want to keep going back. My favorite place in Europe so far is Lisbon, Portugal. The history and culture were great, and I ate an insane amount of the classic Portuguese egg tart called Pastéis de nata. It’s now my favorite dessert (sorry ice cream).
What are your favorite things about working in libraries? My favorite thing about working in a library is being able to see all the books we order and add them to my never-ending TBR (to-be-read) list. No matter what city or state I moved to, one of the first things I did was register for my local library card. I spent countless hours in libraries doing homework, researching, and attending programs as a patron. It’s been a full-circle experience to be able to work in a library and contribute to that environment for others in this community.