LJ Movers & Shakers 2010: Jane of All Trades

Jane of All Trades When a grant she cowrote for new computers for her library came through, Teresa Kiser did what she could to stretch the money: for one, she climbed up a ladder to run cable to each department so that the computers could be installed.

“We don't have the resources to have an IT person on staff. I'm the closest we come,” Kiser says. She also did the software setup once the computers were placed—for 45 in all, including those in the branch.

For a library the size of hers, serving a total population around 112,000, that's no small feat—and it has had a profound effect on the economically depressed community. “We are the only source for many school students to come and access the Internet for research or even to type up papers for school,” she says.

The old computers didn't go to waste. Kiser saw their potential and established a word-processing station. “It allows patrons to type letters, work on Excel and PowerPoint projects without hindering those needing the Internet,” coworker Sunny Gillespie says. Eleven other machines are dedicated to email access only.

But Kiser's not just the library's technician—she's also its eBay auctioneer. She's auctioned off the library's old furniture, a vacuum for LP records, and an old high school annual from Choate Academy—featuring student John F. Kennedy in it.

“The staff gets a little nervous when they see me prowling around, for fear I'll try to eBay something they want to keep,” she says. The auctions have brought the library over $10,000. From email to eBay, Kiser gets an A for her efforts.