Spotlight: Jeanna McEwen

By Taylor Sloan

Jeanna McEwen, Assistant Director at the Oxford Public Library

How long have you been working for the city?

A little over two years.

What made you want to work for the Oxford Public Library?

Having worked in a previous career for over 25 years, I was ready to make a career change. The opportunity to apply for the Assistant Director position was posted, and I was blessed and honored to be chosen for the job. I have had the chance to further my knowledge of the library through workshops and online classes. From these classes, I have been able to achieve the paraprofessional status as well as the Consumer Health Information Specialist Certification, which is provided by the Medical Library Association, and classes are offered through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

What does a typical day look like for you, and what are your responsibilities at the library?

My responsibilities at the library are first to take care of any library patron needs, lead the Adult Literacy Program, work on archiving the Oxford Room, assist Miss Beth with Storytime, as well as assist staff in any events/services that help patrons. Every day is different, and it is always interesting to see what new ideas our team has to reach the needs of the community.

What are some of the best memories you have from working at the library?

One of the events that stand out to me since working at the library would be the Storybook Ball. We were able to reach out to the high school and have the drama club dress up and provide a “fairy tale” experience for the children. It was great to partner with the city schools and to offer them a community event to take part in as well.

What would I like for the city to know about the library?

The Oxford Public Library is growing and changing, and our list is getting longer daily. Here are a few of the services offered: our adult services librarian, Darlene, offers Tuesday activities at 10:00 from Bunco, Book Art, and Card Sharks. She also proctors exams from various universities and organizations. Our front desk librarians, Sarah and Barbara, offer creative displays, advice for books to read, or listen to and provide assistance to find resource information you might need. Our cataloger, Susan, prepares the materials for our computer system and helps out wherever needed. Our children’s librarian, Beth, works on all things from infants to youth, from preschool storytime, summer reading programs, and teen trivia time, maker space projects, and now first Saturday of the month storytime. Our reference librarian, Karrie, works on all things social media and works with patrons’ needs upstairs in the computer resource area. Our director, Amy, besides her director duties, works with patrons during Tech Talk or Bring Your Own Device Time for patrons to walk through tech issues. Greg and Lexie work on weekends and are always happy to help any patron. Our staff is varied in backgrounds, interests, and specialties. They each bring something unique to support our library and community. Check out our website and follow us on Instagram or Facebook to learn of all the free services offered during the week.