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Meet our New Librarian:
Welcome Jennifer Hooker!
Please tell us about yourself:
I am the new Adult Services Supervising Librarian which means I oversee reference, programs, and services for adults as well as manage and support the librarians who work the desk and run the programs. Prior to joining the Mill Valley team I was at Santa Cruz Public Libraries for 12 years working a number of jobs. Santa Cruz was a larger system which included 10 libraries so scaling down to working at a single-branch library has been a welcome change of pace.
What's your first memory of the library?
My first memory of the library was as a very small child when my grandma would walk me down to the Weekes Park Branch in Hayward where I grew up, but the most transformative experience I had came at the Springstowne Library in Vallejo when I was 7 or 8 years old and attended a fantasy-themed scavenger hunt for kids. There were costumes and treats and prizes and the clever librarians there based the scavenger hunt on learning how to navigate the Dewey Decimal System, card catalog, and building. It was brilliantly done and was the first time I really remember someone marrying education and entertainment. Turns out that event would be pretty formative for my career in librarianship which has almost always centered on finding ways to make learning entertaining and fun.
What drew you to Mill Valley and our library?
I came to Mill Valley on a whim when I saw the opening for the position but the more I learned about the location and the library, the more I wanted the job. After my first visit to the city I knew there was something very special about it and even after a month on the job there's something enchanting about it. I loved seeing the ocean and the redwoods on my way to work every day in Santa Cruz and was sad to think of leaving such beautiful scenery but upon my first commute to Mill Valley I knew was going to have a similar experience here.
What are you reading now?
The majority of my reading consists of mysteries of all kinds. I've recently been really into Japanese mystery authors like Seishi Yokomizo and Keigo Higashino. As a departure from that genre I'm currently reading The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown about the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party after finishing Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. I'm also very excited to be bringing a mystery book club and queer book club to Mill Valley Library so keep an eye open for both of those starting in September.
Find some of these books and more by visiting the
Friends' Online Bookstore.
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