Get to Know MCMLS's New Library Director, Rhea Young!

CONROE, TX – Learn about MCMLS's new library director, Rhea Young! We are so happy to welcome you to our community.

Where have you worked in the past?
I worked for Splendora ISD for the last 32 years. I started in 1990 as a Geography and English teacher at the high school. In 1999, after finishing my MLS, I moved to Splendora Elementary Library. In 2008 I became the district librarian and, eventually, the district textbook coordinator and the district testing coordinator for a couple of weeks.

Why did you become a librarian?
The library has always been my happy place. As an elementary student in Splendora, I vividly remember the Montgomery County Book Mobile coming to our elementary school every two weeks. I can still remember how it smelled and how excited everyone became when we knew it was Book Mobile time. I can even show people exactly where the Book Mobile parked each time it was there. I mean really, this was a big deal. Becoming a librarian was a way to share that excitement and love of reading with students.

What is your best library memory?
As I shared earlier, I moved from the classroom into the library in 1999, the year my youngest started kindergarten. I was the librarian for the class of 2012 when they were in grades K-2. When those students became 9th graders, I moved to the high school as the district librarian. So, those kindergarteners were mine again. My best memories include having them come to the library as high school students, and they still remembered their visits to the library when they were in elementary. Some remember the story area and the pond rug they sat on during story time, but most remembered the scary story I told, “The Golden Arm”, that I told them during October (a great jump story). When they became seniors, they asked me to "recreate" story time and tell The Golden Arm story again. Even as 17 and 18-year-olds, they still jumped at the end. It was so much fun!

What are you looking forward to doing as MCMLS's new library director?
I am looking forward to getting community input and adding programs to meet the needs of our patrons, as well as continuing to build stronger relationships between the schools in Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.

What is your favorite book?
Pick out a favorite book is a tough one. There are so many books and so many different genres. So, my favorite children's book is Bark George by Jules Feiffer and Epossumondas by Collen Salley. My favorite YA book: Unwind by Neil Shusterman (this is my favorite genre, so there are many others, but this is by far my favorite). My favorite Adult series is the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich; these make me laugh out loud when I'm reading them. They are excellent mind candy.
Any unique hobbies or interests you'd like to share with the community?
My favorite hobbies are reading (obviously), fishing, and taking old rusty barnyard junk and repurposing it. There is something very satisfying about giving new life to something others have discarded.

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System has 7 locations throughout Montgomery County. The system houses a collection of approximately 650,000 books, audiobooks, and DVDs and access to a digital collection of 820,506 eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eVideos. The Montgomery County Memorial Library System is committed to being a leading resource of information, education, culture, and recreation, contributing to life-long learning, and adapting to the community's special needs and interests. 

To connect, visit:
www.countylibrary.org
facebook.com/mcmlsTX/  
twitter.com/mcmls 
https://www.instagram.com/mcmlstx/
https://bit.ly/MCMLSYOUTUBE
https://bit.ly/MCMLSLINKEDIN
For more information about this MCMLS, contact Natasha Benway at 936.522.2137 or email [email protected].