Library Director Candidate Kate Pohjola Talks Bacon, Roller Derby and Library Love

The Ferndale Public Library will hold a . Pohjola is one of for the position. Ferndale Patch caught up with her and asked a few questions.

Ferndale Patch: What drew you to the Ferndale Public Library director's job?

Kate Pohjola: There were a few factors that drew me to the FPL directorship, with one of the primary things being the location. I grew up in the area - Berkley was home from birth until I graduated with my Library Science degree. Even after leaving Berkley, I stayed relatively close to the area. I owned a home in Hazel Park from June of 2000 until my career took me to Lapeer. I commuted from Hazel Park to Lapeer for six months, but it was an awful drive and the idea of doing a 51-mile commute in the winter was not very appealing. I was incredibly lucky to sell my home in Hazel Park and moved to Lapeer in the fall of 2005. But now I have done a ton of driving between Lapeer and the metro Detroit area - many of my friends have remained in the area, and I still call the Woodward Corridor between roughly Eight Mile and Thirteen Mile "home." I miss the choices and the cultural diversity of the entire region. I love the proximity to the highways and the fact that I could be out to Novi or in Canada in a half hour. I have watched the Ferndale area grow and blossom and I would love the opportunity to be a part of amazing positive change. The library is perfectly positioned to continue to play an active role in Ferndale's evolution.

Another major appeal for me is that the FPL is a one building operation. Lapeer has multiple branches, and our library administrative building is a mile away from the main branch of the library system. It's difficult to work with staff when I didn't always see them every day. I would love to be in a setting where I am able to see the library staff on a daily basis, and see the library visitors regularly, too.

Ferndale Patch: What is your vision for the Ferndale Public Library?

Pohjola: It's hard to nail down a specific vision at this point, but I can offer a preliminary glance, which would be to continue the library's momentum. The existing staff has done a fantastic job creating relevant and interesting programs and events that are definitely drawing the attention of the community. The staff has laid an excellent foundation at the Ferndale Public Library - my preliminary glance would be to build upon it and keep the momentum going while working with the board and staff to establish concrete, measurable goals for the library's continued success.

Fernale Patch: What are you passionate about?

Pohjola: If you asked my friends, their first answer would probably be bacon! In all seriousness, I love libraries. I love what I do and I love being a librarian. It's an amazing career. I am never bored, and I never know what's next. I love that I have worked in libraries for twenty-five years and I still learn something new every single day. Libraries have been forced to change to stay relevant in a society that wants instantaneous electronic access to everything, and we're keeping up. Even with our funding changes on the state level and property value drops in the local level, we're still here and keeping up. We haven't lost or given up our traditional books. We have just added new things and we still serve everyone who comes in the door. I used to sometimes joke that working in a library is like getting paid to play trivial pursuit - you never know who is going to come in or what they're going to want or need, and it's up to me to help them find whatever it is they're looking for. Some folks come to the library because it's a warm place on a cold day. Others are doing hardcore research, and yet others just want to see a friendly face at the check out desk. I love that I can be that friendly face, that research assistant, or just help supply that warm, safe place.

Ferndale Patch: What does a healthy library mean to a community?

Pohjola: I believe that a healthy library is a sign that a community is interested and invested in itself. The voters have demonstrated at the ballot box that their library is as important as the other entities in their community. Libraries represent all viewpoints, and it's important to have that representation in a healthy community. Everyone may not always agree with each other - we all have our political, cultural and social differences, but the library is that one place where everyone can come and learn and gather unbiased information.

Ferndale Patch: Tell us a little about yourself.

Pohjola: I have been working in libraries since 1986. I started out as a page at the Berkley Public Library, where I grew up. With the exception of an awesome stint as an intern at the Congressional Reference Division of the Library of Congress in 1994 and a few months as a contract librarian at General Motors, I have always worked in public libraries. My summer at the Library of Congress was amazing in that I got to live and work in our nation's capital and work directly for members of Congress, but it also hammered home that I really prefer to work with the public. I'm currently the director at the Lapeer District Library, where I have served for just over six years. Since 1986, I have done just about every job possible in a public library. I was a clerk for many years, and was lucky to be able to work at my public library on summer and holiday breaks when I was home from college.

My original plan was to go to library school when I was 40. In my very naive mind, 40 was "old" and I figured library school would be the stepping-stone to my second career. Plans changed quickly though, when I graduated from Central Michigan University in 1993 and was unable to find full-time employment in any area. Library school became an immediate priority instead of a future plan, and I graduated with my Master of Library and Information Science in 1995 from Wayne State Unviersity. I was hired by the Warren Public Library system a month after I finished at Wayne and I've never looked back. I worked in Warren for a few months shy of ten years, and I've been in Lapeer for the last six years.

Outside of work, I love to spend time with my friends and family. I'm the older of two daughters - my parents are retired and live near Phoenix. I'm "Aunt Cake" to three adorable nieces, and many of my friends' kids call me Aunt Kate and they all know that Aunt Kate works at the library, too! I enjoy traveling and road trips, and love to cook, especially if the food involves bacon or chocolate. I'm discovering, too, that bacon WITH chocolate is a great combination!

I love going to concerts and seeing live music. It is my hope that I'll again be somewhat familiar with the local music scene after being away from it for so long. I'm learning to really embrace my inner geek - after years of asserting that my love of video games died with the Atari 2600 and Pac-Man, I discovered that I really like to play Xbox 360 games. I'm terrible at most of them, but I do enjoy video games much more than I thought I ever would.

I love to try new things. Last year at this time, I was strapping on quad roller skates for the first time in nearly 30 years. I tried out for roller derby with the Flint City Derby Girls. It was a challenge unlike any other I had ever experienced, and probably the best regular exercise I have ever gotten. After about six months of skating, I discovered that I definitely need more than two days per week of practice if I ever want to be able to play roller derby competitively. For now, I'm the head NSO (non-skating official) for the league, and I help track statistics at each home bout. I haven't gotten rid of my skates, pads or helmet, so who knows when I'll be back on the track. And yes, my roller derby name is library themed: On the track, I am Damage Noted, and my number is 796.2.