Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Mandy Knapp from the State Library of Ohio!

What is/are your role(s) in libraries?

I’m the State Librarian of Ohio, which means that I am the executive director of the State Library of Ohio. The State Library is a small state government agency that has a research library, does grantmaking for libraries, provides services for libraries and distributes audiobook players for the blind, visually impaired and print disabled.

What do you like most about library work?

Information is the key to good decision making; librarianship is all about unlocking knowledge. It is a privilege to be able to serve others in this way; I love being able to help people.

What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?

Well, this year has certainly been interesting. Isn’t that a famous curse “May you live in interesting times”? My role is like that of many administrators: dealing with budgets, creating plans and strategies for the future and liaising with stakeholders. Issues at the federal level have made all of those tasks interesting indeed.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

One of my jokes with my coworkers is that I need to become more eccentric. Some of the State Librarians—especially in the 19th century—were real characters. There was one who was obsessed with Abraham Lincoln and followed him around as an “unofficial bodyguard”. He also collected a lot of books on spiritualism and the occult that we still have in the collection today. My favorite title in that collection is “Lives of the Necromancers”, which was written by William Godwin, Mary Shelley’s dad.

Why did you join ALAO?

ALAO is a wonderful organization to connect with other librarians. We get our best ideas when we work together.