"Meet Me" Post for Institute -- Doris Ann Mertz

I guess I have almost forgotten how to blog since I haven't done this since the Electronic Resources Challenge ended.  Hopefully, this shows up, and I can say "mission accomplished."

Here goes with the "a little about myself" part (o.k., maybe it turned out to be a lot).  I am the Library Director at Custer County Library.  I am a 43-year-old mother of two and wife of one.  My kids are Sam, 16, and Liz, 14.  Today is my anniversary, and I have been married to Dave for 19 years.  We met on a Hotshot Crew in my pre-motherhood career with the Forest Service.

I have a Forestry degree from the University of Tennessee and worked for the Forest Service for 9 years.  (Before Institute, I had no formal training in library sciences.)  After my second child was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. We lived in Tennessee for a while, then Mt. Sterling, KY and Williams, AZ before landing in Custer, SD.

While living in Williams, AZ , I somehow lucked into the Library Manager/Accelerated Reader Coordinator at the school my kids attended.  I ended up loving my work in the library.  When my husband got a job in Custer, the library director position here happened to be open.  So, I applied and was blessed to be offered the job.

I love my job, and I love living in Custer.  I can't think of any other job I'd rather have.  I still have that pull to the outdoors that got me into forestry back in the day.  So, I satisfy that desire by hiking in the Black Hills with my family and serving on the Custer County Search and Rescue crew.  Which brings me to my newest hobby.  Several of us on the crew are trying to train search dogs.  My future search dog is a 9-month-old border collie named Roscoe.  The training is pretty fun and gets Roscoe and me out in the woods a lot. 

My other hobbies include making quilts, weaving baskets, knotting rugs, and, of course, reading.  I must say that all of my homemaker hobbies have been put on the back burner for a while.  Between a more than full-time job, going to the high school events my kids participate in, spending time with my husband, and training my dog, I have a little time for reading, but not much else.  I plan on pulling those skills back out when I have an empty nest in a few years.  Right now, I'm just enjoying the last few years that my kids will be around. 

I'm looking forward to learning more about my fellow students -- if I can remember how to go read other folks' blogs.  I'm also looking forward to learning more about the various forms of social media.  Just please don't make us take "selfies" or any of that nonsense.