Meet the Staff - Amanda

 

What’s your name?
Amanda

How long have you worked at the library?
I have worked at the library for one week. 

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
My favorite thing about fall is walking out the front door and feeling the fresh, cool, crispness of the autumn breeze on my face.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is when everyone sits down to the table to eat we all spend a few minutes talking about what we are thankful for.

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
Stuffing!

What's a good book to read this time of year?
I love to reread Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series this time of year because of the extra time Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks give me. 

What are you most thankful for this year?
I am most thankful for my family and friends. 

Meet the Staff - Brenda

 

What’s your name?
Brenda

How long have you worked at the library?
One week. I’m one of the new ones!

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
The beautiful colors.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
Eating. I love to eat! 

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
It’s a toss-up between mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. 

What's a good book to read this time of year?
Just about any book. I liked All the Living and the Dead. We rarely think about people who do the difficult jobs involved in death and to be thankful for their hard work.

What are you most thankful for this year?
There are just too many things to list!

Meet the Staff - Shannon R.

 

What’s your name?
Shannon R.

How long have you worked at the library?
Almost one year

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
I love the leaves changing color and the climate changing to sweater weather.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
My family always gets together the day after Thanksgiving to eat a big meal, play games, and sit around and talk. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
Mashed potatoes with lots of butter but no gravy

What's a good book to read this time of year?
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

What are you most thankful for this year?
My family and friends, my health, my dog, my morning coffee, and peanut M&Ms

Meet the Staff - Teddy

What’s your name?
Teddy

How long have you worked at the library?
Over 1 year now. (Started around September/October of 2021)

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
Leaves changing their colors.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
Getting to see family and having Thanksgiving get togethers.

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
Mashed potatoes.

What's a good book to read this time of year?
I do not really read books but I have always loved the “Missing” series by Margaret Peterson Haddix back in middle school so I would say those are good books to read.

What are you most thankful for this year?
My family. 

Meet the Staff - Shannon S.

What’s your name?
Shannon S.

How long have you worked at the library?
I have worked at the library since August of 2021!

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
I love the changes in colors!  I also enjoy sitting on my deck with good friends, neighbors, and family while enjoying good food and a fire!

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
I cannot pin it down to one.  However, a favorite childhood tradition would have been when I was kid going to my grandmas and having Thanksgiving dinner.  Her sticky rolls were the best! We all would burn our mouths on them as she took them out of the oven and flipped them out onto foil. I can still feel the burn as I type this. 

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
My husband does an amazing smoked turkey, and I love his stuffing he makes from scratch as well! All of that along with my homemade cranberry sauce that my mom taught me to make make it a delicious meal!

What's a good book to read this time of year?
My favorite genera any time of year is thrillers! Especially domestic thrillers! The more crazy the spouse the better! If you ever need a suggestion let me know and I will help you out! 

What are you most thankful for this year?
As always, I am thankful for my husband of 11 years, our 10 year old daughter, friends, and good health! I am thankful to work in such a wonderful supportive community as well!  

Meet the Staff - Jamie

What’s your name?
Jamie

How long have you worked at the library?
2 years this month

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
Driving around the state to see the colorful fall leaves.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
Having dinner with my family

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
It is a tie between stuffing and pumpkin pie.

What's a good book to read this time of year?
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

What are you most thankful for this year?
I am thankful for my family and friends.

Meet the Staff - Youth Librarian Eileen

 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆?
Eileen

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚?
I have worked at the library for over 4 years.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍?
I really like the temperature shift from hot summer into the colder winter months. It’s nice to have an in-between season where temperatures are milder, just like spring, plus both seasons have such beautiful color transformations to admire. Colder weather also means that I get to wear my knitted sweaters and boots again!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔?
My dad, mom, brother, and I have always liked creating wish lists for birthdays and holidays. For as long as I can remember, our Christmas wish lists have been due on Thanksgiving. When I was younger, I would spend the morning looking through all the ads that came with the newspaper to finish up my list!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓?
My dad’s deviled eggs. He usually only makes them twice a year, Thanksgiving and Easter!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓?
One of my favorite picture book characters is Bear. “Bear Says Thanks” by Karma Wilson features him and his friends helping each other cook a feast. It’s a very cute story to read around Thanksgiving! 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓?
I’m very thankful for my family, which includes my two cats! I’m also incredibly thankful for my friends, health, home, and job.

Meet the Staff - Tanya

What’s your name?
Tanya

How long have you worked at the library?
I have been at the library 2 years this month.

What’s your favorite thing about fall?
The colors can be pretty in the fall but it is one of my least favorite seasons because I know it means winter and cold are coming.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
On Thanksgiving, I enjoy seeing my in-laws and indulging in my mother in laws delicious cooking.

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?
Green bean casserole is one of my favorite foods to eat at Thanksgiving dinner.

What's a good book to read this time of year?
Curling up somewhere warm with any book sounds good to me this time of year.

What are you most thankful for this year?
I am thankful for my kids, grandkids, and rest of my family.

Meet the Staff - Tammie

What’s your name?

Tammie

How long have you worked at the library?

I have worked here 2 years and 3 months

What’s your favorite thing about fall?

The beautiful Fall Colors

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

We don’t really have any traditions

What’s your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?

Turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy

What’s a good book to read this time of year?

Any book is a good book to read. 

What are you most thankful for this year?

For the health of my family and friends

Meet the Staff - Sandy

What’s your name?

Sandy

How long have you worked at the library?

Four years

What’s your favorite thing about fall?

I love to watch the leaves change colors.  It is fascinating to watch some trees turn overnight, and other trees seem to take weeks to put on their full fall splendor!

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

I enjoy the precious time with my family.

What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving dinner?

All of it!  I can’t pick just one.

What's a good book to read this time of year?

I have more time to read once the cooler weather sets in and I like to explore books by authors that I haven’t read before.

What are you most thankful for this year?

That my family remains healthy and we are able to spend time together.

Meet the Staff - Library Director Cory

 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆?

Cory

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚?

Almost 11 ½ years!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍?

Being able to wear all my sweaters again. Or maybe it’s apple cider. Or leaves! 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔?

I’ve lived in a number of different cities, and haven’t always been able to get home for Thanksgiving. Since my parents didn’t always have a big celebration anyway, I got in the habit of sharing Thanksgiving dinner with various friends and their families.  I’ve had a Staten Island Thanksgiving, and one year I celebrated with a group of transplants from all over the country. I’ve had intimate dinners with just a few people, and dinners with huge groups that spilled over into multiple rooms. I crashed one friend’s Thanksgiving dinner for so many years that I’m pretty sure his family thought we were going to get married!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓?

My mom’s famous stuffing! It’s got sausage in it, and we NEVER mess with the recipe.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓?

The weather this time of year makes me want to hunker down with a giant brick of a book, so I’m going to (nerdily) say anything by Charles Dickens.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓?

It’s been a rough year for me on a personal level, so I’m so very, very thankful for the people who stood by me and supported me and did small, kind things for me. When you lose things, it makes you extra-thankful for the people who show up.

Meet the Staff - Thanksgiving Edition!

 Where would we at Portland District Library be without the dedicated efforts of our staff members?

In the spirit of the approaching holiday season, and in a spirit of gratitude to one another, we thought we'd take some time to answer some questions and give a glimpse at who we are, and share what each of us is thankful for this year!

Click the links below to jump to each staff member's responses!

• Cory (Library Director)
  
• Eileen (Youth Librarian)
  
• Sandy
  
• Tammie
  
• Tanya
• Jamie
  
• Shannon S.
  
• Teddy
  
• Shannon R.
  
• Maxwell
  
• Brenda
  
• Amanda
  

Snow!

 

Well, it's the first snowfall of the season - it would appear that winter is fast upon us!

The view from the apse is beautiful, and it's only in the colder months that we have a good view of the river.

If only the fall foliage had held out just a bit longer!  How I miss the reds and oranges...

On the upside, this is also the time of year we get to start switching on our little fireplace during the day.  It makes for a cozy respite from the chilly outdoors.

Don't forget about us as the colder weather starts driving folks back indoors - relaxing with a good book is a year-round activity!