IRRIGON — Lisa Hauner morphed a love for reading into a career in library sciences. In her first year with the Oregon Trail Library District, she identified her niche — Hauner wanted to be a part of a system that makes it easier for patrons to find what they are looking for.

And now she’s absolutely thrilled after recently attaining Cataloger I certification.

“Achieving Cat I is the highlight of my life,” she said.

Kathy Street, library district director, said among the district’s branches there are four full-time staff and six part-time employees. Hauner’s skills, Street said, are invaluable as she’s the only staff member that catalogs throughout the district, which includes branches in Boardman, Heppner and Irrigon.

“Having a cataloger of that level is important to our library district in many ways,” Street said. “I can catalog easy records, but it definitely is not my specialty.”

In addition to her cataloging abilities, Street and Stephanie Case, the Oregon Trail Library District board chair, said Hauner delivers even more to library patrons. Along with her longevity and institutional knowledge — Hauner has worked in each of the branches — she has an engaging personality.

“Lisa is the usual joyful welcoming face at the Irrigon branch and I regularly hear how she captivates the patrons and is very helpful,” Case said. “I always enjoy seeing her when I go into the library.”

Street agreed, saying the district’s libraries often provide social connections for area residents. People often stop by the Irrigon branch just to visit with Hauner, sometimes even bringing snacks for her.

Turning the page with library district

As the summer heat was waning in 2009, Hauner was finishing up with her associate’s degree at Blue Mountain Community College. While giving horseback riding lessons to the child of an Oregon Trail Library District employee, she learned about an opening at the library and was encouraged to apply.

At the time, Hauner, herself, was a patron of the temporary Irrigon library, which was housed in a converted school bus. In addition, as a community member, she enthusiastically supported plans for a permanent library building in the community.

After stepping into the district’s director position in the summer of 2015, Street found an excess of library materials that had yet to be shelved. She processed what she could by adding copies to existing records. Street said employees within the SAGE Library System — a consortium of public, school, academic and special libraries throughout 15 counties in Eastern and Central Oregon — were extremely helpful with cataloging the backlog.

Street then asked Hauner if she was interested in pursuing the training to become a cataloger. Street reconfigured the staffing schedule to allow her to pursue that goal.

“She was very eager to learn and accept this new work assignment,” Street said.

Case, who has been on the board since 2015, said Street and the rest of the library district board are very supportive of growth opportunities for employees. She said it made sense to support Hauner in obtaining the special designation.

“From the time I started, I remember Lisa talking about getting her Cataloger I certification and she persisted and got it done,” Case said.

Hauner couldn’t be happier. And she plans to continue to learn and grow with technology and access to materials with the ultimate goal of assisting library users.

“My patrons are my world and finding them the things that make their eyes light up and entertain them for the affordable price of free makes for a very good feeling at the end of the day,” Hauner said.