Meet the Staff - July 2023

Each month, we will be highlighting different members of our staff so you can get to know us. This month, we'll introduce you to Alana M and Martha who both work at Ida Rupp. Alana is the teen librarian, her office is always open for teens to stop in and talk. Martha takes care of our book ordering and as an avid reader, loves talking books.

Alana M

My name is Alana Magrum and I am the teen librarian at Ida Rupp Public Library. In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my husband Todd and dog, Ursula. I enjoy travel, exploring new foods, and drinking specialty coffees.

I am currently enjoying watching the new season of Black Mirror.

I could eat Mexican food almost every day, and I especially enjoy fresh guacamole and salsa. One of my dream vacations would be to visit Thailand. I have a collection of Batman items, varying from pogs to a glow-in-the-dark lightswitch cover that I still use! My favorite quote is, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

Martha

Libraries has always been my favorite places – my aunt and uncle lived in Columbus when I was young, and I remember visiting them and going to the Bexley Library. That could very well be why I had always wanted to be a librarian.

If I’m not reading, I’m working on my house and yard. I’ve been renovating the kitchen since 2015. One of these days/years I’ll get it finished. There’s a big backyard my kids played in and a side yard I am converting to more natural growth and native plants. It’s going well, since I’m seeing lots of little bunnies, as well as hummingbirds, and a big toad just this week. I love sitting outside, just enjoying the trees. And since this is Ohio, I have almost as many trees and plants inside. Every room has several houseplants either on shelves, hanging by the windows, or both. My kids can truthfully say they were raised in a jungle.

Currently Always reading – lots of things. I currently have 19 books checked out.

Favorite book/author: I have many “favorite” books and authors. The Guncle by Steven Rowley and How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny are high on the list.

Do you have any collections: I count my plants as a collection. I move many of them outside in the summer and then back in the house in the fall. I also have many baskets that I use regularly to organize things at home.

If you could live in a book/movie/TV show, what would it be and why: I don’t know that I’d want to live there permanently, but I’d really like to visit Three Pines. While its description is wonderful, it doesn’t seem very healthy as people there end of dead quite regularly, and not from old age.