RENEE HAINES - OCTOBER 27, 2016
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Renee Haines was the speaker at the October 27 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Renee earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Library Science from Kutztown University and Syracuse University, respectively. While in college, Renee worked in school libraries and has also worked in academic libraries over the course of her career. But, her first love is the public library where every day is an adventure. Renee has worked as a reference librarian, a collection development librarian, a consultant librarian and as a liaison between state and local libraries. She has been with the Allentown Public Library since 2009 and has served as its director since 2010.
During her presentation, Renee took our club on a journey through the history of public libraries from the turn of the last century to today. For each era, Renee provided an overview of how public libraries have evolved from a books-only institution formed by women’s societies and funded by the Carnegie fortune to the high tech multi-media hearts-of-the community of today. Renee also provided a detailed overview of the resources, programs and services available at the Allentown Public Library. This includes everything from book clubs and classes to free Wi-Fi, downloadable audio books and computer resources for the visually-impaired. Renee also outlined the cooperative partnerships between the libraries in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, as well as the smaller libraries throughout Lehigh and Carbon counties.