Librarian’s page
March 2025
Sharlene Bradshaw
If you get a chance to speak to Sharlene Bradshaw about her recent appointment as HBC’s new librarian, you’ll quickly realize how over-the-top excited she is about her role! With much forethought, enthusiasm and some great goals in mind, Sharlene is already securing new book selections, implementing fresh ideas, and bringing back life and enthusiasm to the Hilton Baptist Church library.
When asked why she decided to accept the Librarian’s role, Sharlene said she “wanted to do something for the church” for a while. She said she kept looking for opportunities, often asking herself “What can I do to be more involved?” She said that finding something that fit into her schedule and still have downtime was ideal, When Sharlene found out previous librarian Cheryl Nolan had stepped down, she happily accepted the opportunity. She said the project started off slow, but now she said she’s “really into it!” Perhaps her personal story and familiarity of the library has played a part in her excitement.
While growing up in the church, Sharlene said she assisted Lois Mizma, another past librarian, on Saturday mornings. Sharlene helped Lois sift through books, organizing them by category, and tidying the shelves. Skip ahead a few chapters, and things have come full circle. And this time Sharlene is coming up with new ideas for the space. But along with that new excitement, she is having to work through some obstacles.
“The library, when I took it over, felt like people had no interest in it,” Sharlene said. “It felt like it was more of just a place for reference materials — not what you would think of as a traditional library.” But Sharlene has already begun addressing some of the challenges and has put some ideas in motion beginning this month. “February reminds me of love. What I’m trying to do in February is to obtain even more updated material.” Offering books on mending relationships is one of the ideas Sharlene says she has for new offerings – and that’s a topic that affects all ages.
As a way of placing more emphasis on sourcing books from the library, and creating some excitement around new selections, Sharlene recently created a table full of some favorites and put them on display in the Lloyd room — where they were easily accessible for church members to check out after the Sunday service. One of her goals is to offer book selections for everyday people.
Sharlene admitted to being an avid reader and admits she isn’t one to read a book that takes weeks to finish. And, she said reading runs in the family. “My Dad is an avid reader and buys all kinds of Christian-themed books.” Sharlene said that if her Dad finishes a book, she’ll borrow it and read it too. Sharing books can be fun, and often more cost effective than buying books. The library is one way to share your books you no longer want to keep. And Sharlene said she will gladly accept donations of current books.
Sharlene wants to bring some diversity to the shelves of the library. Hand selecting books that offer relevancy and meaning to today’s world is what Sharlene said she’ll be doing. She said she may spotlight a “Book of the Month” and introduce it either digitally through the HBC Banner, Facebook page or Web site, or introduce it during Sunday services. Keeping in mind the youth of the church, Sharlene wants to source some new books for their needs and interests as well. “I don’t want to get hundreds of children’s books, but books like Chicken Soup for the Teens Soul” is current and something she thinks the kids can relate to.
The library is currently housed in a room where lots of meetings and gatherings take place on a daily basis. Sharlene said she would love to be able to create a space designed exclusively for the library — a peaceful place for all to relax and enjoy at their leisure. The possibilities are endless and that’s what excites her and keeps her ideas flowing.
We thank Sharlene for accepting her appointment as our new librarian and greatly appreciate her for donating her free time to the cause. We can’t wait to see what exciting things Librarian Sharlene has in store for us in 2025.
If you’d like to donate current books to the library, a white basket with a red heart bow is now located in the library.Please use the sticky notes on the table to let Sharlene know who donated the books so she knows who to thank.