Meet Kristen Hillman, Patron Services Librarian in Talking Book Services (TBS) for the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC)! Kristen has been working at MLC for just over a month. She assists patrons with searching for books, as well as providing support
with digital book players, assisting the TBS circulation department, and attending and coordinating outreach events.
Kristen holds a bachelor's degree in Secondary English Education from The University of Mississippi and spent three years as a 9-12th classroom teacher. She also holds her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Prior to coming to MLC, she worked for two years as a Youth Services Librarian at the
Pearl Public Library.
The people are part of Kristen's favorite part of working at MLC. "Getting to assist the patrons in finding the right book for them is my favorite part of the job." She also notes that MLC has supported her in her career as a librarian with workshops and other training. She feels honored to be able to assist others on the same path by leading the same types of trainings and workshops. Kristen led her first training, the SLP Early Literacy Workshop, on January 22.
She has a long history with libraries; they've been important to her since she was little. "When I was a child, my mom would bring me to the public library to select books and movies each week. Without that early start, I do not think I would enjoy reading as much as I do now. I believe that libraries are essential to the early development of the children we serve as well as providing occupational and educational assistance to adults and fun programs for all ages"
Kristen loves to read. Her favorite books are actually book series:
The Lord of the Rings and
Harry Potter. She also enjoys the classics, such as works by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Mary Shelley. She admits to an obsession with Henry VIII and his six wives, especially Anne Boleyn, and loves to read about them. The last book she read was Julia Fox's
Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, a non-fiction book about the life of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and her sister, Juana of Castile.
When Kristen isn't absorbed by the library life and reading, she likes gardening, kayaking, traveling, and playing video games. She bakes some of the finest chocolate chip cookies you will ever eat and she likes to eat them while lazing around on the couch with her two dogs, Foxy Brown and Mikey.
