Occupation: I am the Young Adult librarian at the C.H. Booth Library.

Family: My husband, Bill, and I live in Redding and we have two children, both grown. Kristen lives in Bethel. She is married and has a 1-year-old little girl. My son David lives in Danbury. He is a commercial pilot for American Eagle.

Pets: I have a cat, Hobbes. There use to be a Calvin, also, but we lost him. Hobbes is 13 years old and in the vet’s words: “He presents very well for a senior cat.”

How long have you been in Newtown? I started here at the library in February of 2003. Before that, I was a reference librarian at Danbury Public Library.

What do you like to do in your free time? I like to work in the garden and play with my granddaughter. I like to listen to books on tape and I do enjoy music, particularly classical music.

Do you have a favorite author? All of my favorite authors tend to be young adult authors, now that I work here. Christopher Paolini, who wrote Eragon, and J.K. Rowling are amazing writers. Chris Crutcher is another young adult author I really like. He writes so well. He’s so on the money with how kids think and what’s important to them.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? My favorite place is the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We’ve been to lots of places, but so far as destinations go, that’s the best. The lakes are clean and sparkling and you can just unwind and relax.

What is the best thing about Newtown? I would have to say all of the interesting people and the down-to-earth character of the people. I’ve met some amazing people here, like Mary Mitchell, Mary Maki, Tom McMorran, and Harlan Jessup. There are just lots of interesting people.

Who do you most admire? The person who had the most influence on my life and I try to model myself after would be my mother. She stood for the things I have come to believe in. She was involved in the community, didn’t listen to rumors, and stood up for what she believed was right. She believed in the value of education and reading.

If you could time travel, would you go to the past or future? I would go to the future. I would hope to find a peaceful world where people were concerned with doing things for the common good.

Do you have a personal philosophy? I think we have to learn from the past and keep moving forward. You can’t live in the past. You have to move forward and do the best you can.