@ Shaker Library
Library Offers Opportunities to
Get Creative with New Creativebug
If you have the itch to learn something new, Creativebug can help you scratch the surface
of a new hobby or craft. It offers fun, easy-to-follow videos on baking, painting, sewing,
knitting, crocheting, drawing, jewelry making, and more. New classes are released daily,
and the site also features downloadable patterns, templates, and recipes.
Choose from more than 1,000 award-winning art and craft video classes, taught by top designers and artists. All you need is your
library card. First-time users must create an account through the Shaker Library Creativebug page.
Looking for a place to start? Try some of the Creativebug subscribers’ favorites: Sewing Machine Basics, Daily Painting Challenge:
31 Flowers to Paint, or discover the art of cake decorating in a four-part masterclass, The Wilton Method: Mastering Buttercream.
Library staff is always happy to answer your questions, help you create an account, and start you on your creative ventures. Send an
email to librarian@shakerlibrary.org.
Melissa Hirsch Is Appointed
to a Seven-Year Term on
the Library Board
Melissa Hirsch (formerly Garrett) was
appointed to a seven-year term on
the Library Board by the Board of Education
on February 11 and began her term
April 1. “I am eager to continue my service
to the Library and the community, especially
during this exciting time of renovation,”
she says.
Hirsch is director of IT strategic planning
and business management for the Cleveland
Metropolitan
School District,
where she is
responsible
for the
development,
delivery, and
management
of IT business
services and
essential
programs
across the District. She is a graduate of Notre
Dame College and received her Masters of
Management (MMT Systems Thinking) from
Ursuline College.
She is the owner and president of
UnBAR Café Inc, which operates the UnBar
Café in Larchmere. She is also the president
and founder of Conversations for Sisters,
an organization dedicated to supporting the
development of emotional, spiritual, and
physical well-being in girls and women, and
co-founder of the Victory Center for Youth,
a non-profit dedicated to providing schoolaged
children access to positive and inspiring
programs. She has three adult children and
lives in the Moreland area with her husband
and daughter.
32 SUMMER 2020 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
Meet Shaker Library’s New
Youth Community Engagement
Specialist: Sam Stavole-Carter
Sam Stavole-Carter began work as the Library’s
Youth Community Engagement Specialist
on March 9. He attended several community
organization meetings in person and lately has
worked virtually with them to bring Library
services to the community.
Sam graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa from Xavier University where he studied
Classical Languages and Philosophy. After graduation, he taught at The Shilling School
for Gifted Children in Cincinnati. In 2019, he earned his MLIS from Valdosta State
University. He and his wife, both Ohio natives, moved to Shaker Heights from Western
Colorado, where he worked for Mesa County Libraries as a Library Assistant, Youth
Services Coordinator, and Teen Librarian.
“Reading is my lifeblood,” says Sam. “While I love reading for myself, my mission
in life is to connect people with books they will love.” He wrote Genreflecting in 2019,
a reference book for librarians, and Teen Genreflecting this year. He is adept at forging
innovative partnerships with community stakeholders such as education professionals
and government agencies, “and dedicating myself to reaching new audiences by any
means possible,” he says.
Sam serves on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2021 committee for the Young
Adult Library Services Association, so he has been reading a lot of comics and graphic
novels aimed at the teen audience. Still, he tries to read a little bit of everything.
“If I could only read one genre for the rest of my life, though, I would probably
choose horror,” says Sam. One of his all-time favorite books is Usagi Yojimbo by Stan
Sakai, a comic book series about a rabbit ronin and his many adventures, for its superb
storytelling and iconic artwork.
Other favorites include Fireman by Joe Hill, Giant Days by John Allison, Max
Sarin, and Lissa Treiman, Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood, The Ocean at the End of the
Lane by Neil Gaiman, The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson, The Sun is Also
a Star by Nicola Yoon, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Mysteries of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Sam credits longtime librarian and readers’ advisory expert Di Herald as having
the biggest influence on how he approaches reading in general. “Her influence can
be boiled down to internalizing her ‘Rules of Reading.’ Number one: If you’re reading
for fun but don’t like the book you’re reading, stop reading it and try a different one.
Number two: Don’t be a book snob. The surest way to ruin reading is to it make it a
stressful experience surrounded by judgement.”
Sam, a cat person who makes pottery, serves on several American Library
Association committees. He enjoys video games, anime, writing, and cooking. He says
that he “looks forward to getting involved with the Shaker community and getting to
know all of the amazing people who live here.” SL
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link