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I had the pleasure of meeting with Cathy to ask her a little bit about her new job and how she got started.
Jobs and experiences that led her to her present position
Cathy has always had a passion for libraries. This passion began as a young child, when Cathy was awarded the Boise Public Library’s Summer Reading Program Grand Prize. Following a few years, Cathy received her Master’s in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to starting at the South Pasadena Public Library, Cathy worked at the Brand Library in Glendale, an art and music-focused library. Though she loved her work, she wanted a more general library, where she could work with children, literacy and fiction programs. While Brand was under construction, Cathy studied for a master’s degree in education and had a lot of experience with student teaching, which sparked her decision to work at a library with kids.
How she got this job
After seeing a posting for this job, Cathy immediately applied, knowing it was exactly what she wanted. Living in Highland Park, Cathy is very familiar with the city of South Pasadena. She was ecstatic when they offered her the job, especially at a time when they are studying their operations and how to move forward with a new strategic plan. Some of these improvements include having a stronger social media presence, modernizing computer equipment, and cosmetic remodeling the first floor.
A typical day for Cathy
As she began working on July 5th, Cathy is still busy getting to know everyone at the library and what they do. She is also doing her best to get herself familiar with the residents of South Pasadena. She is focused on overseeing the senior library staff, providing advice and help in thinking of their goals and objectives. Cathy is also involved in the library board of trustees which takes up a good amount of time. However, as this is a brand new position, her day-to-day duties, functions and responsibilities are still being worked out.
Hobbies outside of the library
Cathy is a big traveler. She has done ten service trips around the world, working with environmental programs in national parks. In fact, she recently returned from Vietnam with the Sierra Club Trip. Cathy also loves being outdoors, hiking and gardening. She has a house near Joshua Tree, where she loves to go when she has time off of work, working in her garden with native plants.
