by Zach Miller
Quick Summary
I met with new Plum Creek Director Elizabeth Hoffman recently and learned about her impressive story time legacy at Siouxland Libraries, her initial impressions of Plum Creek, and more.
Why did you decide to become a librarian?
I grew up in Sioux Falls and I participated in lots of programs, like story time. In college, I majored in history and was doing work study at the library. One semester, when I turned in what I thought was a pretty mediocre paper, the professor commented on my bibliography, "These are amazing resources, where did you find these?" I showed him how and that got me started. Later, as a student mentor during my senior year, I taught a class on how to research at the public library. The experience reinforced what I wanted to do: connect people with information. When I found out it really could be a career, I knew it was a perfect fit.
What has excited you about Plum Creek since you arrived?
In my interview, I was asked for a list of projects I'd like to tackle right off the bat, and I mentioned that I really wanted the library to have a high-quality presence online. On my very first day on the job, the staff promptly launched a brand new website, and I got to check that off my list!
I'm also really excited about the Legacy Amendment. Wow is that an impressive resource for Minnesota libraries. Every time I learn something new about it I'm just amazed by this resource that we have and by all the support for the arts there is in the community. Being able to partner with so many different groups out there is great.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for helping you reach this point in your career?
There are so many amazing people who helped me get started with my career. My teachers, other librarians, my parents. I am very fortunate in that the gentleman who did story time for me as a child at Siouxland Libraries later became my boss when I worked in Youth Services at Siouxland Libraries. His name is Jim Oliver. He inspired me to love books. He helped me learn what it means to be a librarian and make collections accessible and available and diverse and interesting for people. When Jim trained me to do story time, part of the training was a VHS video. As I watched the video, the story seemed familiar to me. As the camera panned through the audience, there I was, sitting in the front row!
