Looking at our Libraries: Staff and volunteers honored for being the backbone

Naples Daily News

Here we are, already a few days into the new year. The last two weeks have passed especially fast. My plan today is to look back on 2016 and forward to 2017 with an emphasis on library people: the employees, board members, volunteers and others who work to make your Collier County library experience better.

Big changes occurred at the top of the library organization over the last two years, beginning with the retirement in February 2015 of Director Marilyn Matthes, after 33 years with our library system. Some of us who have lived here for many years remember her predecessor, John Jones. Valerie Kocin from the Cuyahoga County Library System, with Cleveland, Ohio, as its largest city, was announced as the new director.

Carla Grieve

After about a year, Kocin decided to go back to Ohio to be closer to family. Tanya Williams, at that time the assistant library director, filled in as interim director and got the full title several weeks ago.

The managers of individual libraries are: Catherine Cowser at Headquarters, Marilyn McKay at Naples Regional, Denise McMahon for South Regional and East Naples, David Chalick for Golden Gate and the Estates, Silvia Puente at Immokalee, Jamie Rilley at Marco Island and April Ristau at Vanderbilt Beach. Roberta Stone maintains the Everglades City library site and, while not a library staffer (she works for the clerk’s office there), she is the face of that library.

During 2016 many library employees were nominated as employee of the month. Those selected were:
• January: Carey Hunt of Tech Services handling acquisitions at Library Headquarters Administration.
• February: Maria Mendieta, a regional library assistant at the South Regional library.
• March: Kathy Hermmat, a youth services librarian at the Golden Gate branch library.
• April: Kim Spina, a public services librarian at the South Regional library.
• May: Danielle Sanchez, a library technician at the East Naples branch library.
• June: Gayle McTeigue, a program specialist for Mail-a-Book at Library Headquarters Administration.
• July: Rosemary LaBarge, a public services librarian at the library on Orange Blossom.
• August: Linda Hood, a library assistant at the Vanderbilt Beach branch library.
• September: Sandy Thompson, a library assistant at the East Naples branch library.
• October: Riham Saleeb, a youth services librarian for the East Naples branch and the library on Orange Blossom.
• November: Glenda Agnoli, a library assistant at the Naples Regional Library.
• December: Jamie Reilly, the Marco Island branch manager.

This is the current Friends of the Library Board: Joanne Fowler, Louise Franck, Gwyn Goodman, Joe Hessenthaler (vice president), Cathi Johnson, Dick Jordan, Connie Kindsvater, Matt Koch, Dan Kozlowski (past president), Linda Leatherbury, Bob Levine, Nick Linn, Sandy Linneman (secretary), Cathy Morton (treasurer), Joan Norris, Beth O’Brien, Lorna Scharlacken and Jon Zoler (president). Marlene Kern and Cynde Decker run the Friends office. Become a Friend in 2017 via the website, www.collier-friends.org, or call 239-262-8135. Your dues and donations will enhance the basic library services.

The final group I will mention is the Library Advisory Board where I was the District Two Representative through Dec. 31, 2016. Lynne Nordhoff has been selected to fill that seat. Also new to the board is Joy White for District Four, replacing Doris Lewis who had been a board member for almost 20 years. Continuing their terms are Loretta Murray (District One), Connie Bettinger-Hennink (District Three) and Maggie Gagnon (District Five).

The last library person I want to mention is Walter (Bob) Holbrook, a long-time volunteer at Naples Regional and a member of the Friends of the Library since 1993. His employer (before retirement) started a rewards program for their retirees who did volunteer work. This company would pay $1 an hour for every 1,000 hours of volunteer work. Through this program he has his name on the Friends of the Library Donor Wall at Naples Regional Library at the Gold Level reserved for those with donations exceeding $10,000.

Holbrook is now retiring from library volunteering at age 92. The week before Christmas, the Friends presented Holbrook, his wife and daughter with a few parting gifts, also making him an Honorary Lifetime member of the Friends for all his years of hard work.

You, too, can be a Library volunteer. Talk to the staff at your local library about their needs.

- - -

Carla Grieve is the former District Two representative on the county’s Library Advisory Board.