Tecumseh librarian Beth Lyle serves community with love of reading - Shawnee News Star

Tecumseh Public Library Branch Manager Beth Lyle serves her community through her love of reading and her role as a librarian.

According to Lyle, she strives to be the best librarian she can be and share her love of books with others.

"My personal vision statement for working at the library is to 'serve well, connect all and inspire the future,"' Lyle said.

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Originally from Texas, Lyle said she grew up south of Yukon and moved to Tecumseh in 1992.

"I adopted it as my 'hometown' because it is such a kind and caring community," she said.

Ever since she was a little girl who made check-out envelopes for her own book collection and shared them with friends, Lyle knew she wanted to be a librarian.

"When I saw a hourly position at the Tecumseh Library listed in the newspaper in 2002, I was so excited," Lyle said. "It was the perfect combination of working with books and helping people find information and connect to the resources they are seeking."

After she was hired, she went back to school and received a lot of support from her employer.

"I received my Associate’s degree from Seminole State College, my Bachelor’s degree from Mid-America Christian University, and my Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Oklahoma," she said.

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For Lyle, the best aspect of being a librarian is getting to know all the different people across the community.

"I love to help people find their next great read or listen with an audiobook," Lyle said. "People wonder if libraries are dying because of all the electronic resources that are available now, but I can tell you that libraries are more relevant than ever because we help you access all of those electronic resources."

While she enjoys helping people with their reading, Lyle explained her job is busy.

"There is so much to do, so much information to share and so many dreams we have for our community, that sometimes our small library staff of six are overwhelmed, but we focus on just doing the next thing, whatever that is, and have been so blessed with wonderful volunteers and Friends of the Library supporters who help multiply our workforce and stretch our resources," Lyle said.

As a librarian, Lyle said she is able to be involved in the community through various programs provided by the Tecumseh library.

"Connecting with community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, our school system, day cares, churches and charitable organizations, business partners and partners in the health care field is a big part of working at the library," Lyle said. "We love our community partners and if they have information to share, we are there to help spread the word."

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Lyle feels the Pioneer Library System has a wonderful mission statement which explains the importance of community involvement.

"'Inspiring innovation, engagement, and learning in our communities,' and the only way to make that happen is to be out in the community every day," she said.

Lyle loves the Tecumseh community and serving her amazing community with her fellow librarians.

"We can never outgive this community. It is truly full of generous souls who share their time and their resources," Lyle said. "We plan a give back event, and we are the ones who are blessed."

The librarian is grateful for the city of Tecumseh and appreciates all that is done for the library.

"They have so much on their plate to take care of a power plant, and utilities, and roads but they also support and see the value of organizations like the library and the parks and beautiful city flower beds, and supporting the Chamber of Commerce —  all those things that make a collection of houses and business into more than just a place to live and do business — things that improve the community’s well-being and quality of life," Lyle said.

Going forward, Lyle would love to see the library expand to fulfill the needs of all book lovers.

"There were days in 2019 and early 2020 when every chair in the library was full and we had children and teachers in the back of the library sitting on the floor with laptops taking their school tests," she said. "It would be so exciting to see a new and larger library and community center."

The librarian encourages people to get connected with the library and take advantage of any community involvement resources.

"We love helping you find a place to connect, whether it is signing you up to become a Friend of the Library, or giving you the contact information for a 4-H group, or introducing you to the Chamber of Commerce director," Lyle said.

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https://www.news-star.com/story/news/local/2021/07/27/tecumseh-librarian-serves-community-love-reading/8078921002/

2021-07-27 10:07:55Z

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