One of the best things about working at a public library is that you always get to talk about books. I loved my time at the Oconomowoc Public Library, not only because I was surrounded by books, but also because I got to spend my time talking about them with the patrons and my co-workers. One of my favorite co-workers was the library director, Betsy Bleck.

Meet Betsy Bleck

I am the director of the Oconomowoc Public Library, wife of Steve, and proud stepmom of Brooks (11) and Broderick (10). We also have a zippy Jack Russell Terrier named Davie, an enormous and snuggly yellow lab named Nani, and a loquacious parakeet named Tina.

Director- Oconomowoc Public Library

I started in 2008 as the Youth Services Librarian. I came to the Oconomowoc Public Library right out of grad school and have stayed ever since. I became the director in 2014 when Ray McKenna retired after nearly 34 years of service. A fun fact: I am only the fourth director of OPL since 1917 (here is some more info on that!)! That just shows what a great place OPL is to work! 🙂 

What is your favorite genre? 

This is a tough one. I like to mix it up! If I had to choose a few that pop to mind: Humor and memoir, with a fave combo being a humorous memoir! I love narrative nonfiction and page-turning fiction, too. I’ve also been enjoying American history recently. Really, I like to read everything, except I’m pretty much a wimp about horror. Reading a horror story ruins me for months — can’t venture to the basement by myself, scary dreams, the whole nine yards. I also like to read whatever is bestselling, because it’s fun to be up with the zeitgeist and because it’s handy in my line of work to know the bestsellers.

Do you mostly read for pleasure or do you find you mostly read professional development books? 

I do both. I find that things I read for fun also help me in work — for example, I just loved “Braving the Wilderness” by Brene Brown which I read for fun, but Brown has great words of wisdom for leaders, which I find myself thinking about in my work, too.

Do you share what you read with your co-workers to encourage them to read more? 

My coworkers are big readers and always talking books, as you might expect at the library! In fact, that’s how I ended up reading “Braving the Wilderness” — it was recommended by a coworker! 

What the Boss is Reading

I love to read, of course! I was so happy when Lydia invited me to write a guest post for Lydiature101. So, here goes! 

I’m reading “K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches” by Tyler Kepner. Kepner is the national baseball columnist for the New York Times, and has the impressive depth and breadth of baseball knowledge you would expect, with a job title like that. But what really shines through is Kepner’s deep love of the game and its history, and his high regard for the players. 

This is the perfect time to read this book, and not just because it’s baseball season. Baseball has a romantic nostalgia to it, and I think that’s true of the month of May, as well. Baseball is freshly mowed grass, sunshine, and long, warm days — just like late spring. The way Kepner talks about the game — and the pitching part of the game in particular — is full of that promise of summer, the beauty of the ballpark, and the poetry of the game. Kepner balances that lyricism with plenty of great ‘inside baseball’ details, such as the pitching mechanics of the greats. The fascinating stories from baseball history are worth the price of admission, too. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves baseball and its history — it’s a gem. Or should I say, a diamond?