Tammy Hoke of Jay stands next to “The Starry Night,” her favorite work of art, about four years ago at the Museum of of Modern Art in New York City. Submitted photo
JAY — Tamara “Tammy” Hoke has loved to read since she was a child.
She didn’t set out to be a library director, but the seeds of her career were planted 30 years ago when she got a summer job at the Jay-Niles Memorial Library in Jay. The 44-year-old became director in 2006.
After Hoke graduated from Jay High School in 1994, she went on to earn a degree in social work in 1999. But then her story changed direction and she earned her master’s degree in library and information services in 2004.
What are your duties as library director? My duties as library director are varied and include supervising other library staff and the day-to-day running of the library, ordering library materials, cataloging, being the library “face” to the public, working with the library board, which acts in a governing and advisory capacity, working with the town manager and the town boards to negotiate the library budget.
Have you always had an interest in books and reading? I have always enjoyed books and reading. My mom read to my brother and I from an early age and I learned to read quite early on. My brother, Jared, is two years older. When he learned to read in kindergarten, I did too. I did not always know that I would work in a library, but I did hold my first library job when I was 14. At the time, Western Maine Community Action had a Summer Youth Employment Training Program, which offered kids from low-income backgrounds summer jobs where they could learn important skills for the work force. When given options of different places to work, I jumped at the opportunity to work at Jay-Niles Memorial Library. In fact, I was later hired by the library to work as a library aide, which I did part time through high school and college.
Did you always want to be a director of a library? My bachelor’s degree is not in library science; it is in social work. Back when I went to college, I was a young idealist who wanted to change the world, but I quickly became disillusioned and burnt out in that field, and after doing some soul-searching realized that no matter where I went, I always came back to working in a library. In college, not only did I work part time at Jay-Niles, but also at the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Southern Maine as a work study student. For a time, I thought of opening a bookstore and cafe . . . this was before large bookstores like Barnes and Noble cornered the market. I thought it would be fun to have a place where people could do readings and maybe even have live music from time to time and to be surrounded by books all the while. What could be better than that? Reality hit me at some point and I realized that I did not have the funds to start a bookstore and as long as I lived somewhat close to where family was, there wouldn’t be a market for this type of endeavor. I had to find something where I could actually earn a paycheck. Finally, a light came on in my head and I thought, “You love libraries and books, why not go back and get your master’s degree in library science and become a library director or similar?”
What is your favorite part of running the library? My favorite part of being a library director is envisioning the direction in which I want to take the library. I also love creating programs and running book groups. And then of course there is the obvious answer . . . I love being around books and working with the public!
How many people does it serve? The library serves as the public library for Jay. Anyone who lives in the town can use the library free of charge (although, of course their taxes help pay for the library). There are also a number of people who live in a different town but pay a fee to use the library in Jay. Probably the best reflection of how many people we serve is in the amount of annual library visits. In 2019 we had 12,936 visits.
Have you managed to provide a library service even under COVID-19 restrictions? After being closed to the public since March 16, we just opened for appointments on Aug. 10. Our appointment days and times are 3 to 6 p.m. on Monday, noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday. Appointments are for 20-minute intervals and are transaction based. The coronavirus pandemic changed the way that we do business. We have had to look at ways to give our patrons access to our collection in a way that keeps library patrons and staff safe while also fulfilling our patrons’ intellectual and information needs during closure. During the time that we were closed, we did provide materials curbside for all except about two weeks when Gov. (Janet) Mills declared the executive order requiring all non-essential personnel to stay home. We are still providing curbside, along with appointments. Curbside, for our library, works in the following way: Patrons request materials by emailing the library director at thoke@jaynileslibrary.com, through Facebook messenger, and by phone (messages on the answering machine are acceptable). I use a new pair of gloves to select the materials off the shelf, place them in an unused plastic bag, write the patron’s first name on it, and then place the bag under the library portico. The patron is then notified that his or her materials are ready for pick-up.
During closure, we saw an uptick in patrons accessing the CloudLibrary (digital downloads from Maine Infonet) to access reading materials and audiobooks in digital formats.
Two summer reading programs that drew 46 children have also been held by providing packets curbside.
Do you have goals that you set that you have or want to achieve? I always have goals in mind. Right now, I am thinking about what the library will be like post-pandemic. The pandemic has given me time to reflect on the future of the library and ultimately how to do outreach in the community in ways that will keep the library viable into the future. My wish is that when we are back up to full steam we will be better than ever. I am currently working on a plan to make that happen. One area I am working on is the library Makerspace. I want to make that more accessible. Much of what I have in mind for the library is figuring out ways to make the space that we have work to accommodate greater accessibility to our resources. Stay tuned!
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