Rowena Marshall, Dartmouth Library
Rowena Marshall, Dartmouth Library
Rowena Marshall - Dartmouth Librarian
“I read voraciously,” says Rowena Marshall, Library Supervisor at Dartmouth Library. “I try to read a wide range of books – I love being able to talk to people about the books they might want to take out of the library. I love matching a book to a person – it’s a subtle art.”
Born on the Isle of Wight, Rowena has loved books almost from the moment she first picked one up. She studied English at the University of North Wales – where she joined the Sailing Club and met a nice man called Arthur, whom she would later marry – before taking a diploma in Librarianship.
Her first job after this was working in a specialist children’s bookshop before taking a role with the Library Service in Essex.
With her now husband Arthur, Rowena moved to Devon around the time of the birth of the couple’s first child in 1983. They chose a cottage in Strawberry Valley, and have lived there to this day.
Rowena soon started work at Stoke Fleming and Kingswear Libraries, before spending time at the Children’s Library in Newton Abbot.
Then in May 2005 she took the role of Library Supervisor at Dartmouth’s brand new library, in the newly opened Flavel Arts Centre. At the heart of the town, the library has been attracting thousands of visitors every year since and Rowena said she loves working there.
“I love books and I love working with people, “ she said. “So it is the perfect place for me! I enjoy interacting with people and finding out what they are reading. If someone wants a recommendation I often ask ‘What did you last enjoy reading?’”
“You notice certain trends that transcend formats – everyone loves Murder mysteries! Our best issuing author is M.C. Beaton, who writes light-hearted murder mysteries. They’re clearly addictive: having sampled one, people tend to devour the series! September’s best-issuing book is “A respectable trade” by Philippa Gregory.
Rowena said her favourite books this year have been “ Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel and “The Blind Man’s Garden” by Nadeem Aslam. Her childhood favourite was “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
She said that being a librarian can be very rewarding.
“I recently recommended a library member, who works as a social worker in Plymouth, to take out some audio books for her car journeys,” she said. “She wrote to me and said it had made a big difference to her, in helping her relax on her trips to and from work. Or there’s the 102 year-old lady who couldn’t hold a book to read anymore – she now listens to audio books and this has allowed her to maintain her love of fiction.”
Rowena and her team have been working to develop the library, with the help and guidance of the Devon Library Service, so that it can be the best possible community asset.
She said: “We want to make sure that all feel welcome - the library needs to be a free, open, non-judgemental space for people to use. So we have computers, reading tables, and comfortable chairs. We also try to make sure everyone is aware that we have the support of the library network, so if someone needs a book we don’t have here, we can source it from another library.
“Computers are playing an increasing role in the work of the library – we offer support to all so that if someone wants to develop their computer skills we can help. The library service in Devon has been very positive and proactive in trying out new ways to develop and enhance their services and I like being part of an organisation that is always trying new things.”
Rowena has seen many changes during her time as a Librarian, and recently the library was remodelled to include ‘self service’ sections for visitors. Part of this drive to keep up with developments is using new formats for the items you can ‘take out’ of the library.
“We now offer eBooks for Kobo and other eReaders,” revealed Rowena, “and there are MP3’s of audiobooks too. You can download them from the Devon Libraries website, using the new overdrive service. Using these new systems and services I think we can bring people back to reading – as Julian Barnes said: “Novels tell us the most truth about life: what it is, how we live it, what it might be for, how we enjoy and value it, how it goes wrong, and how we lose it.”
As well as getting to grips with the latest technology, Rowena also runs three Reading Groups, and she says she still loves the job.
“I’ve tried to create a welcoming, positive atmosphere for all our visitors,” she said. “We want visitors to feel confident to seek out the books, films or information they want easily. We have been developing sections that reflect our visitors’ interests, like Scandinavian Crime or Modern Classics, to make it simpler and more straightforward for people to find what they want. We will keep working hard to develop and get better all the time.”•
Dartmouth Library, The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND 01803 832502
www.devon.gov.uk/dartmouth_library.htm
First published October 2013 By The Dart