This week’s blog is the first in our Staff Spotlight series. We have some of the best staff members, and I thought it would be a great idea to recognize a different person periodically. At our most recent staff meeting, I gave everyone a little “pop quiz” and at the end asked them to nominate a person to be our first staff member to be show cased. Reading these later, it was easy to see who had the most nominations.
If you frequent the Blytheville Public Library, you have more than likely seen Ms. Mary Razor. She is a pillar at this location and is special not only to her coworkers, but to many of our patrons.
Mary is the branch manager of the Blytheville location, where she has worked for the past 43 years. She handles most of our cataloging, which means she has had her hands on almost every item in our system.
When asked, Mary said her favorite part of her job was the people she meets, especially the children. If you know her, you know this is certainly true. She loves all her customers but makes special relationships with the kids. She often gives children books to keep and is always happy to visit with them. Many children will come to visit her and bring things they have made or drawn to gift to her.
I asked Shannon Bridges, a coworker who has worked closely with Ms. Mary for many years, to share her experience with Ms. Mary. “Where do I begin? Ms. Mary is truly an angel. When I started working at the library in 2005, she took me under her wing and taught me everything she knows. She goes above and beyond when it comes to the customers and her co-workers, she’s genuinely concerned about everyone's well-being. I don’t think there is a customer that she doesn’t know, and the customers tend to let you know because they’ll ask for her because she always makes sure they get the books or items they need. I’m truly going to miss her in her retirement because she has become my work mom, friend, confidante, spiritual advisor, counselor, and therapist.” Jokingly, Shannon said, “When I grow up, I want to be just like her because she’s a prime example of what a person should be.”
Some fun facts about Ms. Mary:
Mary not only spends time cataloging and shelving our books here at the library, but she makes time to read daily. One of her favorite books is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
If Mary were to travel anywhere in the world, she would visit Hawaii or the Grand Canyon.
If she could have any superpower, she would choose to eat many different types of food.
Be sure to stop by the Blytheville Public Library to visit Ms. Mary!