Tellico Village resident Carol DeForest hit the ground running in her new position, planning how to enhance the success of The Public Library at Tellico Village on Dec. 1 as the facility’s manager.
The former manager, Becky Haile, retired in November, leaving board members searching for the right person to fill the position.
Sam McQueeney, Friends of the Tellico Village Library member, said the board was lucky to find DeForest.
“We were very fortunate that we kind of found each other, that she found us and we found her,” McQueeney said. “She’s got a vast library-related background, and she fits in perfect. Not only that, she lives in the Village. So she knows ... what the people here would want. ... It’s unfortunate Becky decided to retire, but we’re fortunate that Carol applied for the position and that she took it.”
DeForest’s interest in libraries helped fund her college education.
“I put myself through college working at a public library,” DeForest said. “I liked it, so after I got my bachelor’s I worked at the university library. I’ve always enjoyed research, and so I thought I would get my master’s and go into library science officially. I got very interested in medical libraries because I love science.”
DeForest received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and returned to school for her master’s degree in library information science from Wayne State University in Detroit. Most of her career has been spent working in medical libraries at hospitals.
DeForest said she has worked in libraries for about 18 years. However, she was compelled to take a position as a medical writer when a library she previously worked at shut down.
She said she knew she wanted to eventually go back into library work, and when the medical center she wrote for in Denver “had a bloodbath of layoffs,” everything fell into place. DeForest has lived in the Village for nine years, and she said she feels like a “fish out of water here” because she isn’t a retiree. DeForest said she has never been without a job since she began working as a 16-year-old.
When she learned that Haile was retiring, she thought the position would be perfect for her since the library is just a mile from her home.
“The thing about working here is I understood the demographics because I’ve been living here for nine years,” DeForest said.
Within two weeks of starting the job, DeForest has worked to create a consumer health resources section in the library.
Along with the health resource collection, DeForest plans to implement computer classes on Microsoft Excel as well as other Microsoft applications because of the recent success of iPad courses at the library.
She said consumer health resources is close to her heart. DeForest said she believes the library needs better health care information because of the demographics of the Village.
The planned collection will include DVDs, books, pamphlets and a “cheat sheet” explaining how to find authoritative information online.
“A lot of people just go to Google and Google something,” DeForest said. “You have to know your sources.”
McQueeney said DeForest’s idea for a consumer health section will be a much needed addition to the library.
“That is wonderful considering the aging population here,” McQueeney said. “This is certainly something we can all use as we struggle through health care issues and Medicare.”
