Member of the Month: Tyler Chadwell-English
In this issue, we’d like to introduce Tyler Chadwell-English to our FURL members and share more about his work at FCPL as well as get to know him better through his hobbies and book interests.
Thank you, Tyler, for answering our questions and sharing your inspiring story!
(Interview compiled by FURL Member Diana Manevskaya)
Please, tell us about your role in the library operations and what do you enjoy most in your job.
I am the full time Teen Services Librarian at Urbana Regional Library. I am also the Volunteer Coordinator for both teens and adults. The two things I enjoy most are helping patrons find materials and providing opportunities for teens to expand their experiences.
Why did you decide to become a librarian? Was there an event that influenced your professional path?
I think my path to librarianship stems from my love of reading, but also being a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. I have a little bit of knowledge about many things, which makes me a great reference librarian. One big influence was the fact that my 7th grade homeroom was in the school library. My homeroom teacher, the librarian, was a huge positive force in my life.
The work-life balance is important, no doubt. What do you like to do beyond your work at the Urbana Library?
I have a 10-year-old daughter, Lakeysha, and a 7-year-old son, Kareem. Since I work full time, I spend every hour outside of work focusing on them. Kareem plays soccer and is in Theatre, and Lakeysha is in Theatre, Gymnastics and plays the saxophone. They keep me very busy. I volunteer for their school library and for the PTA.
Your life is busy, indeed! I hope, occasionally, you find some peaceful and quiet time for a good book. What recently read book did you enjoy and would like to recommend to our members?
My favorite genre of books are cozy mysteries. Here are a few recent reads and authors I enjoyed.
This Month’s Cozy was The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen about a librarian turned ice cream shop owner returning to her roots and becoming an amateur sleuth.
I love anything by Janet Evanovich, including her recent novel The Recovery Agent. It is the start of a new series and was very enjoyable. If you like comedy, adventure, mystery, and romance you will find it all here.
Tyler in action!
Another author I love is Nora Roberts. She is painted as a cheesy romance author, but nothing could be further from the truth. When I read her books, I always learn something about a niche profession or a hobby, like cooking, photography, glass blowing, or boat building. Her newest novel, Night work, is about a young man who turns to a life of crime to pay his mother’s medical bills while he was as a teenager. Years later, when he is ready to leave the business behind him, old enemies resurface.
For Halloween season I’m reading the fourth installment in the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman. In this final installment three generations of Owens Witches work together to end a centuries-long curse, save the life of an innocent person and find the love they deserve. A story of family, sacrifice, and that greatest magic of all…love.
What was your favorite childhood book?
Very tough question! The best I can do is to narrow it down. My favorite series as a child, which is receiving a revival via graphic novels, is the Animorphs series by KA Applegate. I also loved Pinballs by Betsey Byars, which ironically may be the reason I decided to become a foster parent, and Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret was a first chapter book I ever read. Honorable mention would go to the Star Trek the Next Generation Starfleet Academy Books that I read voraciously, and Ralph S Mouse.
It would not be fair to leave out my favorite trilogy by Nora Roberts, which I read as a child. I read a lot as a young person, and we did not have a library close enough to our house to walk to. So, I would sneakily read anything my mom read. She too read a lot, so this worked to my benefit, though I don’t imagine many of my classmates were reading romance novels at 10. My favorite of those books was the Three Sisters Island Trilogy by Nora Roberts. It was about three witches off the coast of Massachusetts, and I re-read them every year.
From your perspective as FCPL staff, why are communities like FURL important for the libraries?
Communities like FURL are essential to the function of the library. First, we are here to serve the public and without that interest and need, we wouldn’t be helping anyone. Beyond that, FURL itself has immensely helped the teens in Urbana and our programs here at the Urbana Library. FURL has donated funds to refinish the Teen Studio, which gave our many teen patrons a place to be. The PlayStation is used every single day by teens. FURL funds allow us to buy pizzas and snacks for our programs for teen patrons to enjoy.
I think it can be easy for some of us, myself including, to forget that even in a wonderful place like Urbana, for some teens the library is their safe space. A place they can explore new interests and ideas, a place they know they are safe, a place with snacks. A place where they can leave their hardships outside our doors. FURL has helped me in large ways to create that safe space for them, and for that I am extremely grateful.
Thank you very much, Tyler! This is so inspiring! And, for a wrap-up, let’s have some fun with a few short questions:
Tyler is the Teen Services Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator at the Urbana Regional Library. Here he is in the Teen Zone.
Electronic, audio- or physical book?
All Three! Audiobooks make it easier for me, a busy parent, to do chores and read at the same time. I usually am reading a physical, digital, and audiobook at any given moment.
Paperback or hardcover?
Give me books! Format does not matter…
Do you judge a book by its cover?
Yes, a smart publisher/author will attract more readers with an interesting and eye-catching cover, so I am more likely to pick up a book with a good cover or clever title.