Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Byrne.
Amy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my career in public libraries in December 2003 as the Circulation Services Manager for the Rockford Public Library in Rockford, IL. After completing my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Middle School Education at Rockford University, I worked as a SASS Counselor at Janet Wattles Center, an Office Clerk at Rock Valley College, and the Business Manager for Bradley & Bradley Architects & Engineers.
My employment at RPL was serendipitous; I was in a leadership class with the Rockford Chamber of Commerce and my mentor was Karen Van Drie, the Director of RPL, and she saw in me the drive and skills for library work. After three years in the Circulation Services Manager position, I knew that public librarianship was my calling and wanted to make it my career. I became the Branch Manager of the Rockton Centre Branch of RPL in January 2007. In order to advance in the field, I knew needed to earn a Master’s in Library and Information Services. I enrolled in the Fall term at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s MLIS program that same year and completed my degree in May 2010.
I remained at the Rockton Centre Branch until March 2009. At that time, I was transferred to the new East Branch Library as the Branch Manager. The new East Branch was a renovated Barnes & Noble store and was on the main strip in town which meant it was busier and open more hours than the other Branches in the system.
In January 2010, with many other staff members, I was laid off from RPL. I was still in the Master’s program at UW-Madison and decided to finish my degree before searching for another job since I’d be more marketable with a Master’s Degree. During that time I was a volunteer for PAWS Humane Center and the Volunteer Coordinator for Rock’n for the Red: An Evening with Sara Evans for the Rock River Chapter of the American Red Cross.
After living in the Rockford area for over 30 years, I needed to look outside that area in order to obtain a position that would match my skills. In July 2010 I started as the Adult & Teen Services Supervisor of the Nichols Library of the Naperville Public Library. This was a big and scary move as I left my family and friends, but my boyfriend (at the time), Todd Henderson, moved with me, and we married on September 10, 2011.
I greatly enjoyed working at NPL, and my Manager, Sue Prindiville was an excellent mentor to me. NPL was and is an award-winning library system that provides world-class services. I worked with a large staff of Librarians who were passionate about their profession. Although I did greatly enjoy my position, I wanted to grow more as a manager and Librarian.
In November 2011, I started a new position as the Crest Hill Branch Manager of the White Oak Library District. At the time, the Crest Hill Branch was located in a small building that we had outgrown years earlier. WOLD had passed a building referendum in 2010, and it was in September 2013 that the new library was open to the public in its current location. The old Branch Library would fit inside the Children’s Department of the current Branch!
The White Oak Library District is made up of three branch libraries in Crest Hill, Lockport, and Romeoville, Illinois. I feel fortunate to work with the people in the District. At the Crest Hill Branch, we’re a cohesive team who works hard to offer quality services, materials, and programs. As a District, we offer amazing services and programs that are appreciated by our users. In September 2017, each branch became a Passport Acceptance Agency, and many staff became Passport Acceptance Agents. This means that anyone who is eligible can come in and get their U.S. passports processed.
Here are large, yearly programs that happen at the Crest Hill Branch:
Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm: Volunteer Fair
We contact non-profit organizations to help pair them with members of the community looking to become more involved in a one-day event. In 2018, over 100 people attended.
Citizenship Prep Class – 13 weeks – We are on our 4th round of these classes. The classes target the legal permanent residents who are either thinking of or have already started the naturalization process. The class is led by staff from the Southwest Suburban Immigration Project in collaboration with staff from the White Oak Library District.
Grandparents Day Out: Friday, August 9, 2019
Held on the second Friday in August, 2019 will mark our 5th year holding this event. It has grown every year, and we hope to see 500 grandparents and their grandkids this year.
Program description: Before your grandkids go back to school, bring your grandkids for fun, games, and giveaways! We’ll have activities you can do together, cool things to see, ice cream provided by AARP, a demonstration by a local police dog, touch a truck, face painter, and more! This is the fifth year we’ve collaborated with the Lockport Township Park District, AARP, the Crest Hill Walgreens, local law enforcement, and elected officials on this event.
Elected officials who attended in 2018: State Senator Pat McGuire, State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Crest Hill Mayor Ray Solimon, and State Representative John Connor. State Representative Natalie Manley and State Representative Larry Walsh, Jr sent representatives. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner was not able to attend but did send a Greetings letter.
3rd Annual Dog Days of Summer
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The invitations have just gone out to rescues for this event, and we’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response! In 2018 over 40 rescues, veterinary clinics, and dog-related shops attended, and we were just shy of 500 attendees. Will County States Attorney Jim Glasgow and Chief Investigator Louis Silich attended, and, with the permission of the rescues, I shared their contact information. They are putting together a list of rescues to help them when there are cases where animals will need a safe place to go. At the event, four dogs were adopted into loving forever families.
Program Description: The Crest Hill Branch is going to the dogs! We will use our extensive outdoor yard to feature a variety of rescue organizations, veterinary services, and small business retailers, as well as Library-related activities like a photo booth, cooling stations, doggie paw print craft, mini agility course, and more to celebrate National Dog Day, which is held annually on August 26th. Plus, new this year, we will have costume contests and parade for dogs and their humans!
That’s right – you can bring your dog to the Library on Dog Days of Summer! And, who knows, if you don’t already have a dog, you just might go home with your new best friend.
In 2018, PetSmart, Joliet has generously donated “doggie swag bags” to the first 200 attendees! There will also be raffles where you have the chance to win a variety of dog-related prizes! Make sure to Like our Facebook page to stay up to date with what’s going on.
In addition to work, I volunteer my time with several organizations:
General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Illinois
http://gfwcillinois.org/
I am the Education Chair for the 2018-2020 term. The Education Community Service Program provides ideas and inspiration for Clubs and members in the areas of libraries, schools, literacy, and scholarships. Also under the Education umbrella is Epsilon Sigma Omicrom (ESO). ESO is an honorary educational society open to all per-capita dues paying GFWC members. ESO provides clubwomen with a structured reading program that is educational and stimulates a desire for self-improvement.
Additionally, I am on the Strategic Planning Committee of the GFWCIL.
I am a member of both the Joliet Juniors Woman’s Club and the Lockport Woman’s Club.
Dog Rescue
I volunteer with perfect Pooches Adoption Agency http://perfectpooches.org and Paws Up 4 Rescue https://www.pawsup4rescue.org/
In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and friends:
Son, Logan Byrne, 29 years old, an author who lives in Lake Geneva, WI.
Husband, Todd Henderson, pet store department manager.
Parents, Bruce & Linda Byrne who split their time between Florida and Wisconsin.
Brother, Erik Byrne, and sister-in-law, April Cheverette (also a Librarian) of Chicago.
Pets:
Chihuahuas: Sidney, 13 years old and has lung cancer and heart disease (but has outlived his dire diagnosis by over a year!), Zuzu, 9 years old, Twinkie, 4 years old – rescued from a puppy mill by Animal Rescue Corps during “Operation Spring Break.”
Mixed Large-breed dog: Sweetie Pie, 10 years old.
Ghost Ball Python named Lilith, 1-year-old.
My cat, Karma, died on Monday, September 10, 2018 on my 7th wedding anniversary. She was just over 16 years old, and I adopted her when she was 8-weeks old.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, hand embroidery, home improvement, gardening, true crime, and British TV shows.
I am very involved in the world of hand embroidery! I’m a blogger for Feeling Stitchy, a blog about embroidery and everything stitch-related, that has been around since 2007. Additionally, I (sporadically) blog on my own website, Random Acts of Amy, have been featured on other embroidery blogs, have been in Homespun magazine, and have two projects featured in a book.
Here are some links:
Personal:
https://randomactsofamy.com
http://www.instagram.com/randomactsofamy
http://twitter.com/randomactsofamy
https://www.goodreads.com/randomactsofamy
http://www.feelingstitchy.com/
http://www.instagram.com/feelingstitchyish
Work:
http://whiteoaklibrary.org/
http://www.facebook.com/whiteoaklibrary
http://www.twitter.com/whiteoaklibrary
https://www.youtube.com/user/whiteoaklibrary
https://www.instagram.com/whiteoaklibrary
http://whiteoakblogs.org
http://whiteoakauthorfest.org
https://www.facebook.com/whiteoakdogdaysofsummer/
https://www.facebook.com/whiteoakauthorfest/
In August 2018 I was admitted as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Several of my ancestors fought during the American Revolution, and I was admitted under my 5th great-grandfather Private Isaac Slaughter. I am a member of the Isle a la Cache DAR and will hold the position of Corresponding Secretary for the 2019-2021 term.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. It was difficult to attend graduate school while also working full time. When I was laid off from Rockford Public Library in January 2010, it was a blow to my self-esteem as I thought I would spend my whole career there. I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity for a week, and after that realized that I was a highly-qualified professional that any library would be lucky to have on their staff. That became a reality when I applied to only Naperville Public Library after graduating and was quickly hired after interviewing.
Working in a small and cramped Crest Hill Branch when I started at the White Oak Library District was difficult. We were on top of each other, and my office was an off shoot of the break room and didn’t even have a door!
Moving from the Rockford area has been difficult. I spent most of my life there and was active in the community. Moving to the suburbs was a huge culture shock for me! It is very different from what I was used to, although after living here for over eight years, it’s somewhat easier. Getting involved in volunteer activities in my community has greatly helped ease that transition.
White Oak Library District – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I added all of this information to my bio… here is WOLD’s mission statement:
The White Oak Library District is a community anchor, balancing stability and tradition with a continuous evolution of timely services, materials, and programming. By connecting people to a world of intellectual thought, accurate information, and reliable technology we promote literacy, lifelong learning, and personal success. As stewards of the public trust, we encourage community partnerships and fearlessly explore new opportunities. We strongly believe in the transformational power of our libraries and thus dedicate ourselves to preserve them for future generations.
I think that the staff who work at White Oak Library District are the best around! We are a nimble organization that pays attention to what our communities want from us. We have several annual, large-scale events that fraw people from all over. Coming up on Saturday, March 2nd is STEM Fest at our Romeoville Branch, and on Saturday, July 27thwe’ll hold our 5th Comicopolis at our Lockport Branch.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success has changed over the years. In my 20s and 30s, success was being constantly busy with activities and moving upwards in my industry. Now that I’m looking at the tail end of my 40s, success, to me, depends upon how happy I am. It’s knowing that I have tried my hardest and being happy with myself. I value my personal time far more than when I was younger, and I guard that time to do those activities that bring me joy and satisfaction.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://whiteoakauthorfest.org
- Website: http://whiteoaklibrary.org
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/whiteoaklibrary
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteoakdogdaysofsummer/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/whiteoaklibrary
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/whiteoaklibrary
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