By Elizabeth Wastell,
Garretson Gazette
This is the third article in our series featuring local librarians. In this week’s article we are speaking with Sharon Hall.
Hall was born in Wisconsin. Portage, to be exact.
"Portage," Hall said, "in rural Montello, Wisconsin, moved to Colorado where my husband’s from, and then we found our way to South Dakota."
Hall has an Associate’s Degree in Bible studies from Northwestern University, Bachelor of Science in English from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and a Master of Science in Continuing and Vocational Education from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Library and Information Science from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Hall has a husband and son.
She said that books open up whole new worlds for readers.
"(Books) give you the ability to step away from the world’s cares and get lost in a different world," she said. "I grew up around books since my Mom owned a Christian bookstore and I volunteered in my school’s library. I chose to major in English because of my love for literature and jumped at the opportunity as I finished college to become Director of a township library."
Hall shared with us her favorite authors and genres.
"Historical fiction, Christian fiction." she said. "Kristin Hannah, Lauraine Snelling, Francine Rivers, Deanne Gist. I loved Kristen Hannah’s 'The Nightingale' and Francine River’s Redeeming Love.'"
Hall does a lot more than just librarian duties, as she manages four of the Siouxland Libraries.
"I manage four branches operated by eleven staff,” she said, “putting together the monthly schedule becomes challenging when there’s meetings, time off requests, programs, and system responsibilities that constantly change up who will work when and where."
As a librarian, she says the work is always rewarding and she enjoys lending a helping hand.
"Getting to know our customers and helping people find information that impacts their lives," she said. "Nothing is ever boring; every day has something different. I just love hearing the children laugh and cheer during a story time."
Aside from the library she finds many enjoyable things to do in her free time.
"I enjoy reading (obviously), listening to Christian music, and browsing for new recipes," she said. "As we are a former farm family, we like attending tractor pulls, thresherees, farm shows, and county fairs."
