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Meet Kate Whitman: Student Success Librarian

Post Date:08/28/2024

Kate is a warm and optimistic librarian, brimming with energy and creative ideas. Her passion for people and the library makes it a vibrant and welcoming place for everyone. Always eager to help and inspire, Kate's positivity shines through in everything she does, creating a space where her community feels encouraged to explore, learn, and grow.

Kate, tell us about yourself.

Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m so excited to be your Student Success Librarian! I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and my first memories are of hiking in the Gorge with my family and exploring our beautiful state. I still love talking about my favorite hikes and nature spots.

My first career goal was always to be a teacher or middle school guidance counselor, and I maintain a deep appreciation and respect for all of you doing this work. When I went to college in the small town of Grinnell, Iowa, to study English and Theater, I discovered the magic of community building through teaching theater and art at the local community center and helping create a free theater troupe for kids ages 3-18. The community fully embraced me, and the rewarding programs we built together showed me that I want to spend my life working in the community to help young people.

When I returned to Oregon, I worked for West Hills Montessori, co-teaching 3-6-year-olds, focusing on early literacy and STEAM work. I also taught all ages, kids to teens, at the Northwest Children’s Theater and established outreach programs for them at public and private schools around Portland.

My love for community building, literacy, and connecting learners of all ages to resources has always been a driving force in my career. This passion was further ignited when I reflected on the impactful work my mom had done for Multnomah County in reference and as a storytime lady. Her dedication inspired me, and a clear path toward my current role as a Student Success Librarian took shape.

What inspired you to choose to work for the City of Hillsboro as a Librarian?

I got my graduate degree in Library Science from Emporia State University in 2021 with a concentration in Youth Services and knew my goal was to support young people in public libraries.

I had started as an intern at Hillsboro Public Library (HPL) January 2020 and quickly saw it was a warm, inclusive, creative team that really cared about our community. I knew I wanted to become a librarian here, specifically. Starting as a Library Materials Assistant after the internship, I then became a Library Support Specialist.

I’ve spent the last few years building community partnerships and developing and leading programs for all ages with our amazing programming team. Some of my favorite programs I’ve developed are our Library Teen Theater Troupe (now entering our 5th season) and our Adult Cozy Storytimes. I also had the privilege to serve as storytime lady for our Toddler Times the last few years and look forward to visiting my toddler alums at their schools when they’re a bit older!

Our Hillsboro community is the best and shows up in such a genuine and caring way. I say to our community that you are my people and I’m so excited to serve your learning and resource needs as a Librarian!

Tell us about your new role as the Student Success Librarian?

As Student Success Librarian, I'm eager to expand our connections with Hillsboro students, teachers, and families to show all the fantastic, free resources we provide as their community partner. I love making the library feel like a home for our community and providing warmth, access, and support when I do outreach. I will promote resources like our Student Library Cards, expansive collection, inclusive programming, and the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) online homework and research tools.

As our students return, I've been visiting schools, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I've heard comments like, "I love the library. I go there all the time." and "That's so cool they already have cards; we should go." This is a testament to our strong community.

I'm excited to continue these personal connections and introduce the Student Success Newsletter, which will be sent to schools monthly starting this fall. I can't wait to share all the exciting updates and resources with you!

I will continue developing engaging, educational youth and teen programming at both branches. I'm eager to build a teen council and ensure our teens have a voice at our table. And I'm excited to keep bringing in community partners like our other city departments, local organizations, and business leaders to work with our students and open many career and college doors for them!

What do you like most about your job?

I love making the library a community gathering and learning space where our patrons can show up as their authentic selves. It is such a gift to see the spark in someone’s eyes when their needs and interests are accepted, welcomed, and encouraged. I witness the feeling of belonging in my theater troupe teens after 100 people show up for their play, in the eyes of a young, reluctant reader when you find the perfect truck book, in adult learners who find new friends at our library programs…it’s the best! These feelings of community and encouragement give our learners the confidence to keep exploring their passions and live bold and authentic lives.

How does your job directly affect Hillsboro community members?

With this work, our community can expect to see more school visits from the library, where we share research and job-finding tools, book talks, and literacy help.

The Student Library Card usage will increase as we share the free materials and homework help the card gives access to.
Field trips will return to the library, showing students and teachers the vast collection and maker spaces at their fingertips.
Teens will see more fun opportunities to learn and connect with peers and local leadership at the library.
Teachers and parents looking for help with homework and educational programs will see them in the Student Success Newsletter and can connect with me for additional support.

This is the work I am ready and eager to do.

What is the top question patrons ask you?

What book will get my reluctant (child) reader excited about reading?

I always ask the child what subjects they are interested in. Dinosaurs? Baseball? Minecraft? Magical adventures? Major historical events? Speaking as a former reluctant reader (I fully grasped reading around age 9), it’s important to find what interests them enough to be motivated to read and learn. Then we look for books that match their current reading level in that subject. I also find that kids are more likely to read something if it is recommended by a peer or older kid which is why I am excited to include book reviews by current HSD students in my upcoming newsletters.

What do you like most about Hillsboro?

I love getting to know my community and seeing everyone’s friendly faces out and about! It makes my day when a family says, “There’s Miss Kate from the library,” or a young friend runs up for a high five. Or when a teen I’ve worked with on our theater troupe comes back to visit and brings new friends. Or when a parent says “Hi” in the store, and we catch up about how school is going.

We care about each other here and root for our friends to succeed. I will always fight for our community because everyone has believed in me and given me so much support. What great people!

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