As a Technology Specialist and Reference Librarian at the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library, those who know me now and have interacted with me at the Library may be surprised to learn that prior to when I joined the Library’s staff twenty years ago, I knew next to nothing about computers. I knew where the power button was, but other than that, they were magic boxes that the internet lived in. Learning about how computers work and how to fix them has been part of my journey as a staff member at the Neuse Regional Libraries.

Every staff member and library user has their own story. As part of the Library’s Strategic Plan for 2019- 2024, the Library has committed to “develop testimonials utilizing multiple platforms to demonstrate the Library’s impact on individuals and the community.” The Library means so many different things to so many people, but everyone who uses or works at our Library can tell you about how the Library and its Mission has changed their life.

In order to share those stories with the community and other existing and potential stakeholders in our Library, we are kicking of our “Tell Your Story” campaign in February, which is National Library Lover’s Month. The goal of this campaign is to gather these stories and present them on our website and through our social media. To get this started, each week this month, one of the NRL staff will be showcased in a video on Facebook in which they share stories about themselves, beginning with our Director of Libraries, Melanie Morgan.

Each week our social media will feature Tell Your Story Tuesday featuring an interview with the selected staff member, Word of the Week Wednesday which will highlight a themed word based on the featured staff member of the week, and Favorite Book Friday which will share the featured staff of the week’s chosen book recommendation.

We hope that learning more about our staff and the difference the Library has made in their lives will inspire our library users to share their own stories. Ultimately we want to learn more about the impact the Library has made on an individual level and gain the ability to share these stories with the greater community. We want to hear from you! If you are interested in participating, you can visit the NRL website at www.neuselibrary.org/shareyourstory and tell us why you love the Library and how it has changed your life.

For more information about Library events or programming or about the “Tell Your Story” campaign, please call 252-527-7066, Ext. 134.