For Each Chapter | Christine Herman

"As a Canton native, I went to St. Peter's School, right next door to the Main Library, from kindergarten through 6^th grade. My first memories of Stark Library are walking over with my kindergarten class. I was an early reader and - by third grade - a voracious reader. We lived on the northeast side of Canton and we were not well off. So it was wonderful when the Bookmobile used to park down the road at Fairmount Elementary. This was a decent walk for a little kid, but as soon as I was allowed, I was walking down to get books.

We never had a lot of books in the house. No one else in my family was much of a reader, though my mom made a point of reading to me and my brother as small children. As a shy kid without a lot of resources, the Library was my lifeline. Eventually, when I was a teenager, my mom moved to downtown Canton and my baby sister and I would walk over a mile to visit the Main Library. It was a special outing for us. We would browse the library and then get a cup of tea at a downtown coffee shop to sit and read, which made us feel very grown up and cosmopolitan. 

I had decided by high school that I wanted to help other people appreciate libraries, as I had. I looked into pursuing a career as a librarian and discovered some critical information: I would need a Master’s degree, and Kent State was the only school in Ohio offering this program. So I applied to Kent State University at Stark - a big deal, as I was the first person in my immediate family to get a college degree - and continued to use the Library to help me through that season in my life. I didn't have a computer or internet connection at home, so I spent a lot of time on campus. I also didn't have a car, so sometimes getting to the Library was a lot more convenient than the almost 2-hour commute to Kent Stark on the bus.

I did eventually achieve my goal, starting grad school at Kent State in 2010. I attended part time while working (and getting married and starting a family) and finished my degree in December 2014. I started at Stark Library as a Teen Services Librarian in January 2015. I have loved every day of my role as a librarian and I cherish the opportunities to ‘give back’ by sharing my passion for public libraries with young people. This library has touched my life at every stage. When I talk passionately about what libraries have to offer - books accessible to every income level, access to the internet, assistance for students, printing and faxing, early literacy help for my own child - it's because I have used these resources myself.”