Monday, April 23, 2018

North Shore Senior Center’s Annual Super Senior Day, Thursday, May 24, 2018
Friends of the Glenview Library: Super Senior 2018, Lauren Szwiec

Late on a Tuesday November afternoon in 2013, an attractive woman appeared before my desk in the Friends of the Glenview Library Used Book Store in the Glenview Public Library and asked if she could be one of our volunteers. Luckily for me, the opening we had available at that time was with me on Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. Her calendar was open for her to be scheduled for that time, and so she began.

The reason I say “luckily for me” is because if she had been scheduled for some other time period other than working directly with me, it could have taken some time for me to be aware of and to understand first-hand how multi-talented she is. She is computer literate; she can write; she is flexible and willing to do tasks large or small; she is a “reader” and therefore knowledgeable about books and authors past and present, and ... fun fact, she always “has wanted to have a book store”.  Now she does!

She is friendly and likeable, and good with people. As an instructor for the Used Book Store, she updated and totally rewrote our UBS “Bible” – how to do whatever in the daily life in the Store. She handles our computer classes for new volunteers who want to learn to research and list our (eligible) books on Amazon. On duty in the UBS, she is helpful to each customer as needed, including those who are searching for the “right” book as a gift for a friend or for themselves. She is always on time (and is actually always early for appointments) and is creative in thought and deed. You can understand why two years ago I asked her if she would accept the Friends’ Board position as Co-Chair of the Friends of the Glenview Library Used Book Store.

She did and she is.

Submitted by: Irene Overman Kreer