Stepping into the Limelight this month is Kaity who recently enjoyed her third anniversary with the Forsyth County Public Library family as a Youth Specialist at the Cumming Library. In a role she’s been preparing for since her early teens, Kaity finds satisfaction in helping both avid readers and reluctant ones discover the joy found between the pages of just the right book.
A Georgia girl from birth, Kaity has spent most of her life living not too far up the road from Forsyth County. “I've lived in many towns in the northeast of the state,” she says. “I spent the longest growing up in Commerce and Statham, near Athens.”
Kaity remembers being an avid reader during those early years. “I was homeschooled, and would often accidentally get way ahead in my reading assignment for school—sometimes at the expense of other tasks—because I got so caught up in the story!” she said with a laugh. “I frequented my public libraries, from storytime all the way up to teen programs.”
It was in such a library in Commerce that she made a discovery that would change the trajectory of her professional life. “I learned you could be a shelving volunteer at the Commerce Public Library starting at age 13,” she recalls. “I waited eight months for my birthday, immediately signed up, biking there from my house once a week. As a volunteer, I learned you could be a librarian as a career, and I've been on that path ever since!”
When asked to describe her role as a Youth Specialist (YS) with FCPL, she says “serving the community through information” but is quick to enthusiastically add “getting kids fun books!” The wide breadth of her answer speaks volumes about the diverse roles she fills as a Youth Specialist.
“As a YS, we have many special parts of our job that I love, like doing children's programming and visiting schools,” she said. “One thing unique to me is that I also do a lot of graphic design since that's my degree and background. I like reviewing YS team promotional materials or making special flyers.”
But the favorite part of her job? “Doing reader's advisory with kids! I love getting to help them find things they'll enjoy, for reluctant readers and avid readers alike,” she says.
Still an enthusiastic learner herself, she likes sharing her discoveries with others. “My other favorite is presenting programs, especially things like my homeschool family program, Hands-On History, where I get to learn so much just by planning it!” she says.
Learning and discovery are not confined to the library meeting rooms for Kaity.
“Just last week I went to New Zealand! It was truly like being in middle earth. It's a beautiful country. I've also visited a lot of the east coast, Guatemala, England, and six countries in Europe on one trip via backpacking and traveling by train—Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and Czechia,” she said.
When not traveling the world, she enjoys a diverse selection of hobbies including writing a young adult sci-fi novel influenced by her love of Star Wars.
“I loved the setting of a galaxy with many different worlds where you could explore endless stories following vastly different settings and characters,” she says. “I used to write Star Wars fanfiction that was basically original characters and stories using Star Wars as a worldbuilding shortcut,” she said. “Then I decided to create my own original world to write in. Centalia is a galaxy of a hundred planets where the Core of each grants some residents special abilities.”
She also finds time for art including drawing, crocheting, and most recently, painting miniatures for Dungeons and Dragons. “And since meeting my husband, I've gotten into longsword fighting (HEMA) and archery,” she says.
She always has multiple reads at hand too. Currently she is working her way through The River of Doubt by Candice Millard about Theodore Roosevelt, and The Rising Storm (Star Wars High Republic) on eAudio. “Gotta have something going in multiple formats!” she says.
Her vote for best formats are “mostly paper and audio. I only do eBooks when travelling light on trips.”
And the reading experience would not be complete without her very fluffy gray companion named Beans. “She's a little crazy but still very sweet, and the softest cat I've ever encountered in my life,” she says.
by Joanne Garrett
Administrative Specialist
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