Library Limelight is intended to be a quick read to help FCPL patrons get to know our librarians, staff, and volunteers. We hope you enjoy learning about the people who make our libraries great!
Ross Gericke
Branch Manager
Hampton Park Library
Where is your hometown?
I was born in Houma, Louisiana and have lots of family from the New Orleans area, so that strange city has always been a second home. I grew up in Stone Mountain, close enough to the park to be able to hear the laser show and fireworks every weekend. As a result, I’ve listened to "Dixie" enough for three or four lifetimes.
How long have you been at FCPL?
I started in September of 2007, so that puts me right at 13 years. I’m finally a teenager!
What other jobs have you had at FCPL?
I started as an Information Specialist at the Cumming Library, then worked as the Information Services Supervisor at the Hampton Park and Cumming libraries, and finally I became the Hampton Park Branch Manager.
Why did you choose to work in a library?
My grandfather was a librarian and helped design the library at a seminary in New Orleans, so I guess it’s always been in the blood. Two years of struggling to teach Shakespeare to ninth graders also helped.
Describe your job in five words or less.
Professional nerd wrangler. Also nerd.
What is unique about your job?
Every day brings unexpected questions and challenges, most of which are actually pretty fun. My all-time favorite question from a patron has always been: “I have a dead deer in my truck. What do I do with it?” Answer: Get it processed for sausage. Don’t worry, it wasn’t roadkill.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I live near Hampton Park, so I ran into patrons at the grocery store a lot over the closure during the pandemic. It was nice to be able to provide in person updates and to commiserate over difficult times. Our patrons really do like us.
What’s the most interesting place you’ve lived or traveled?
I got to stay in Oxford, England for a short while, and there’s just a ton of history there. It was fun being a regular at the Eagle and Child pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to hang out. While in England, I also took a small excursion out to Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Most of the entire town is a used bookstore, including the castle! When I left Oxford, I threw away clothes to fit more books in my suitcase. Priorities.
What are your hobbies?
Apart from reading? I do enjoy going on hikes with my daughter, Autumn, where I’ve found that I’m remarkably good at being stung by bees. I also enjoy watching soccer and racing.
What are you reading right now?
I just finished a trilogy by Alastair Reynolds about a pair of space pirate sisters, the first of which, Revenger, won the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book in 2017. They’re quick and fun reads, and exactly the kind of escapism I think a lot of us are seeking these days.
Paper books, eBooks, or audiobooks?
Paper books, particularly moldering old mass market paperbacks, for some reason. I blame a youth wasted in fantasy novels.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Moby Dick is a shockingly good book. I don’t know why I always feel the need to share that, and I’m sure my staff are tired of hearing about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment