A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Conshohocken library’s new manager finds adventures through books
CONSHOHOCKEN » The theme for Sept. 17-26’s Library of Congress National Book Festival is “Open a Book, Open the World,” and Harry Hoy – Conshohocken Free Library’s new manager – couldn’t agree more with the sentiment behind the tagline.
“I just love that theme,” Hoy says. “Anytime you read a book, you get a glimpse into somebody else’s world…whether you’re reading something by Jerry Spinelli that’s set in Norristown or a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that’s set in Colombia. Reading also gives you a chance to go somewhere you’d like to go, especially now, with the pandemic’s travel restrictions…but, really, anytime, it’s an escape into something new.”
For his part, the Whitemarsh native has been an avid reader for as long as he can remember and credits mom Cathy and dad Ray with nurturing his earliest penchant for the written word. As a teen, he belonged to the youth advisory board at Lafayette Hill’s William Jeanes Library and considers himself “very fortunate… very lucky that books and the habit of reading have always been part of my life.”
Hoy’s adult taste runs to poetry and non-fiction.
These days, he’s making his way through “Louise Gluck Poems 1962-2021,” “Warmth” by Daniel Sherrell” and “The Selected Works of Audre Lorde.”
“I usually bounce around between a lot of different stuff, although I’m trying to read more fiction,” he says.
In general, Hoy believes non-readers or reluctant readers simply haven’t found “the right genre or the right author…given the variety (in both).”
“Asking a librarian for suggestions is a good place to start,” he says. “Letting the librarian know what you’re interested in and, then, finding a book on that topic and going from there. And, again, there’s so much out there. Maybe a graphic novel is the way ‘in’ when trying to force someone to read chapter books only deters them from reading.”
The 2015 Plymouth
Whitemarsh High School grad joined CFL’s staff as an assistant following his 2019 graduation from Boston College. At B.C., he majored in linguistics, was one creditshort for a minor in French and served as editor of “The Stylus,” the school’s oldest literary magazine as well as one of the oldest collegiate publications in the country.
During and after college, Hoy held assorted posts related to archival work and special collections, including a four-month stint as an archive assistant at Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires (he’s also fluent in Spanish).
Did he ever see himself as a librarian?
“Absolutely not,” Hoy laughs. “A soccer star, a doctor, the president, a construction worker, maybe. A librarian? No!”
That changed in pre-pandemic 2020 when he took a casual walk to CFL “to pick up a few books.”
“While I was there, I saw a notice on the community bulletin board that they were looking to hire a part-time assistant,” Hoy remembers. “I didn’t have anything else in the works at the time, so I told them I was interested and got hired. Two weeks later, the world shut down. Shortly after that, Lavinia (Anderson) retired and Sydney (Mason, his predecessor, now head of adult services at Norristown Public Library) asked me to fill her position. Then, when Sydney moved to Norristown, I became manager here. It all happened so fast…and so unexpectedly. I feel very fortunate and humbled.”
Shortly after he joined the borough library staff, Hoy – a published poet – spearheaded the ongoing virtual poetry workshops CFL offers in partnership with Royersford Free Public Library and Montgomery County Library system’s Norristown branch. Among his future plans, increasing the library’s presence as a community space, expanding its author-readings series and exploring collaborations with the local historical society.
All in good time, he says. For now, Hoy invites anyone who isn’t already a CFL member to sign up for
a “totally free” library card, which allows access to everything from books to onsite computer usage and passes for a number of Philadelphia-area museums. CFL is located at 301 Fayette St. Additional information
is available via its link at www.mc-npl.org or 610825-1656.
Details about the Library of Congress’ 2021 Book Festival is posted at www.loc. gov/events/2021-nationalbook-festival/.