With the new year starting, Edmond Memorial High School needed to look for a new librarian. They found that person they needed was former freshman English teacher, Bekah Joash.

Joash went to Emporia State University to earn her undergraduate degree in English and is currently attending the  University of Central Oklahoma to complete her masters in library sciences for education. After earning her English degree, Joash taught English for seven years, four of them being at Memorial in the Freshman Academy.

Although there are many things Joash found enticing about the library, what really pulled her in was the way that it combined many of her various fascinations.

“It kind of mixed a lot of the different passions that I have. I can be a little more creative here because it’s a little more relaxed. I can create bigger projects and do more exciting things that take more creativity. I still get to talk to kids and I still get to talk about books,” Joash said.

Joash has loved the library since she was a kid but became especially interested in working there once she came to Memorial.

“When I was in college it wasn’t even on my radar that you could be a librarian. Then when I came to Memorial and met Mrs. Gillam and Mrs. Lemmons, I got to talk with them about the things that they were doing in the library. I was like that is what I want,” Joash said. 

While Joash could have worked as a librarian at any school, she specifically wanted to be at Memorial.

“I really wanted to be a librarian here. With the traditions this school has and the people that work here I didn’t want to move schools,” Joash said.

Even though there are some aspects of the library that are the same such as working with students and books, it is also very different.

“In classes, you know exactly what to expect every hour, but here every hour is different and so some of that is really cool and exciting and some of that is like ‘Where’s the comfort of my dictated schedule?’” Joash said.

Joash plans to continue working at the library until it is time for her to retire.

Contact Adeline Gruen at [email protected]