New librarian plans ways to pull in public
TEXARKANA, Texas — A new staff member at the Texarkana Public Library is busy creating programs to draw in more patrons and make reading more fun.
Public Service Librarian Morgan Chance hopes to attract people of all ages with activities such as book clubs and trivia contests, and she will also be on hand to help them with research questions and other ways they use the library.
Chance has already scheduled a book club for young adults — ages 14 to 18 — to begin in March, and those interested can sign up through February. Her other plans include clubs for other age groups, game nights and trivia nights, craft workshops and events just for home-schoolers. She plans to work on programs with local schools and assist with the library’s summer reading program, as well.
It is all part of a career she says is perfect for a book lover like her.
“I’ve always been in a library. … This is my dream job. It’s technically not a job for me because I love it so much,” said Chance, who earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Texas. A former assistant director
of the Magnolia, Arkansas, Public Library, she also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is working on another in business management.
The public service librarian position is not new, but the library’s executive director, Jennifer Strayhorn, said she wants to emphasize more community outreach.
To that end, Chance will be conducting some surveys of the public to discover what services they would most like to see. Chance’s role as a reference librarian will free the library’s circulation staff to focus more effectively on their jobs, Strayhorn said.
The library has also recently hired two part-time security personnel, so everyone can feel safe attending the programs Chance plans, Strayhorn said.
For more information, call the library at 903-794-2149.