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02/03/2016 07:30 AMEven as a high school student, Nancy Haag knew that she wanted to become a librarian. She earned her bachelor’s degree in German from UConn before getting her master’s of library and information science from Rutgers.
Upon graduating, she spent seven years as an academic librarian at Fairfield University before returning to her hometown of North Haven to become the library’s reference librarian.
“I enjoyed academia, but I love the diversity at the public library—you work with every age group, so it’s more diverse in the types of questions you get and what people are looking for,” says Nancy. “Also, throughout my day, I do a lot of different things so it’s not one routine thing all day long. I love to work with the public.”
Nancy originally started at the North Haven Memorial Library solely as the reference librarian, but as technology advanced and the demands of the community grew, her job has changed. Now, in addition to manning the reference desk where she helps patrons answer questions and assists with computers and printing, she has a variety of other tasks.
When not at the desk, Nancy chooses and pulls books for displays, updates the library’s website, and crafts a bi-monthly newsletter for patrons.
“I enjoy finding information and research, but my job has morphed into more adult services,” says Nancy. “With the new technology, we always have to keep on top of things, so I’ve gone to lots of trainings over the years because a lot of things weren’t around when I went to library school. It’s interesting to see changes, but some things stay the same—people still love to read and love to talk about books, people still call for specific information, and look for help with technology.”
Nancy is also one of three program coordinators, along with Pat LaTerza, the assistant director, and Laurel Oravetz, who has implemented a number of new programs to help patrons with their needs. She noted a new subscription to a program from Lynda.com that offers high-quality tutorials on more than 4,000 topics, including computers and technology. The library features screenings of the videos, but residents with a library card can also access them from their home computers.
Nancy also started a book chat group where people can discuss the book they’re currently reading and get recommendations from others, a mystery book vlub that meets once a month, and a knitting group that meets the first and third Thursday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. with a night session also beginning due to its popularity.
“We offer a lot of different things. We try to be proactive and work with what people would like to have,” says Nancy. “Every time I visit the knitting people, they say, ‘Thank you so much for opening the library to us.’ It’s a great easy way to meet the needs of the community. Libraries are evolving into more of a community center.”
The North Haven Library also offers movie screenings, presentations on various topics (the next is on “Bears in Connecticut” on Thursday, Feb. 11), senior seminars (“Good Night’s Sleep” on Tuesday, Feb. 16, Xpress Way aimed at those in their 20s and 30s (“Quick Lessons in Life” on Feb. 16), and exercise classes, including PiYo and Yoga. The first in a series of free concerts is Saturday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. featuring Rhonda Denet who will perform Love: From Jazz to Soul.
While Nancy is excited about all of the programming, with her background in German, she is particularly excited to bring foreign language conversation groups to the library. When she originally reached out to gauge interest, patrons expressed interest in French (first Monday of the month at 4 p.m.), German (first Tuesday of the month at 2:30 p.m.), Italian (second Monday of the month at 1 p.m.), and Spanish (fourth Monday of the month at 4 p.m.).
“I was really pushing for a while to do language conversation groups,” says Nancy, who notes all have been successful, though they are looking for more people to join the French group. “I thought, ‘If I don’t have a lot of chances to speak German, I bet there are people with other languages who feel the same.’ Now we have self-running groups and people can sit around table and speak the language for an hour.”
Nancy practices her German at the German group and she hopes she will be able to use it when she combines her other interests—bicycling and traveling—with a cycling trip along the Danube River in Austria in the near future.
Nancy is also quick to point out that all of the programming at the library is free, extending her gratitude to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring a number of the programs.
“We try to reach as many people as we can and get the word out that the library offers great programs, great resources, and we are here for all the townspeople, any age,” says Nancy. “I love connecting with the public and I enjoy meeting a need for people.”
For information or to register for events, visit northhavenlibrary.net or like the North Haven Memorial Library on Facebook.