Sharon Martin has a lot of exciting changes in her life. She recently started a new job as the Library Director for the newly-remodeled University Park Library. Martin’s staff includes two other full-time librarians and five part-time circulation assistants. Together, they reopened the Library in late January to raving reviews.
Martin grew up in Beaumont, but because of her father’s job, she had the opportunity to live in other places, such as southwest Louisiana, Spain, south Texas and Venezuela. She received her Bachelor of Art degree in History from the University of Texas at Dallas and two Masters Degrees from the University of North Texas in History and Library and Information Science.
One of the reasons Martin said she was attracted to being a librarian is because she "love[s] helping people. Also, the job is never the same from day-to-day. It is always different.”
Martin moved to the Dallas area in 1988 and worked for the Dallas Public Library system for 17 years in various capacities at multiple locations. Last October, she landed her job for the City of University Park as the Library Director. Martin said, “The chance to work in a community that had worked so hard to get a library was very attractive to me. Also, during the interview process, I was very impressed with how well-run the City of University Park is.”
Martin started her UP position near the end of the remodel, so she was not involved in the design process. However, the other staff members were heavily involved and were able to give input about the layout of the building and the technology needs.
The architect, Denelle Wrightson of Dewberry Architects, is an award-winning library designer. She also gathered focus groups from the community to discuss the style of the library and what the University Park community expected from its library.
Martin feels that the most exciting thing about this library is how much it is a reflection of the community it serves. She said she appreciates “the location in a vibrant commercial hub of University Park, the fact that it was designed with community input, and it has been funded in part by the community. We have display spaces that will allow us to showcase community groups and activities and a meeting space for the community to use. It excites and challenges me to work very hard to have this library be a community gathering place.”
To attract people to libraries today, she said, the library must learn the needs of its community and respond to them. This includes everything from the use of library space, to what materials to purchase, to what hours to be open. She said, “We’re just starting out in the new library, but we plan to be active in the community and talk to our customers to make sure we’re meeting their needs. We are a vibrant and state-of-the-art library, so we are the kind of place people want to be. My motto is that our library will be the place that ‘educates, entertains, and inspires.’”