Karen Adams, adult services librarian at the Fountain Hills Branch Library, said she has discovered in her 13 years in Arizona that libraries here provide a very friendly, inviting, encouraging work place.

That was not always her impression of libraries, however.

After receiving her Bachelor's Degree in English at Elms College in Chicopee, Mass., Adams worked for several years in retail at book stores in Boston. Libraries had not yet caught her imagination as a possible working environment.

“The libraries are different out here,” she said.

“They offer more variety.”

Adams’ parents wintered here for many years, so Adams decided that Arizona might be a favorable place to pursue employment. She was ready for a change and decided to come to the Valley of the Sun in 1999.

Being a book lover, one of her first stops after moving here was to visit the Fountain Hills Branch Library to get a library card.

The “day of the new card” proved to be the beginning of Adams’ new career.

Staff person Barbara Cvancara, a library paraprofessional, assisted Adams in the process of getting her new library card, as well as an application for the small branch manager’s position at the Sun Lakes Branch Library that Adams had seen advertised.

Later, when Adams transferred from Sun Lakes to Fountain Hills, she and Cvancara had desks side by side in the staff room.

The rest, as they say, is history; an interesting, fun story of support and possibility.

Adams discovered that she loved working in the library and, in addition, it afforded her the possibility of using her imagination to try new programs. Her first experiment was to initiate the Reading Club at the Sun Lakes Branch Library, and this has become a very popular continuing program here in Fountain Hills.

In 2002, Adams became a library paraprofessional with the Fountain Hills Branch Library.

It was also during that timeframe that she became aware that she could apply for county reimbursement resources and pursue her Master’s Degree in information resources and library science at the University of Arizona, all while she continued to work full-time.

This proved to be the perfect opportunity, as Adams could apply what she was learning to her job and have research resources readily available.

Upon further investigation, she learned that much of the class work could be done online, with a few classes available in Phoenix, as well as others she could take in the summer at the UofA Campus in Tucson.

Her graduation was a day of celebration with all of her supportive library and community friends.

A Master’s Degree opened the door for Adams to apply for other librarian positions that became available.

Adams’ first opportunity was the teen services librarian position at the local Branch Library.

Adams’ next opportunity came when the adult services librarian at the Fountain Hills Branch retired and she stepped into that position. In this role she facilitates a variety of popular adult programs, 28 sessions in all this year, with a total attendance of 937.

The Reading Club, an active group that averages about 12 participants, meets twice a month from September through April.

A June and July smaller summer continuation of the Reading Club is the Readers’ Exchange. The latter group shares books that they have chosen on their own, while the winter club members all read the same book.

This can make for a very lively, interesting discussion, Adams said.

“Even if we don’t like the book, we come for the discussion and always go away with a broader viewpoint,” Adams said.

Reel Discussions, a film discussion group, is a monthly event staffed by Adams during the winter.

Also, Music in the Library, a special fall and winter series fully funded by the Friends of the Library, has become a popular activity, so popular that the numbers often require the use of a Community Center ballrooms.

One of the currently running programs supervised locally by Adams is the Adult Summer Reading Program, which is a county-wide program. Participation in this program is encouraged through special prizes and a free book at the completion of the program.

Librarians, by trade, need to be extremely versatile. The adult services librarian is involved in reference work, maintaining the library’s collection, as well as customer service. Adams’ duties often extend to developing programs of special interest, such as the Arizona Centennial of 2012.

Adams said she also enjoys choosing books and DVDs for her “Oldies but Goodies” display.

She chooses books by lesser known authors with eye catching covers in hopes of giving them a chance at a larger readership. The films Adams chooses are indie films, documentaries and foreign films, among others.

“I am a huge movie buff,” Adams said.

“I’ve seen most of the movies I choose for the display. These are the films that people may not have yet seen, but could find interesting.”

Look for Oldies but Goodies on the back walls at the local library.

“The work is never done, but always interesting in an environment of continuous innovation and change,” Adams said, adding that she and all of the staff work at making the local branch library a valuable community resource.