Liz and Nate Hand

Your Library Card: Beyond Books

Stark Library is so much more than books on shelves and computer stations. It's a gateway to endless free tools and resources that can entertain, educate, inform, guide, and support you. As you change and evolve, moving through different experiences and taking on new roles, Stark Library comes alongside you to provide what you need FOR EACH AND EVERY CHAPTER of life.

Liz and Nate's Story

“We just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and moved into our sixth home together - and Stark Library has been part of that entire journey. At various points, we’ve called Madge Youtz, Downtown, and the North Branch our home base, but we’ve enjoyed visiting the entire Library system at one point or another."

Nate and LIz Hand with their boys, Mason and Brennan.

Liz:

I’m a naturally curious person and I’m constantly learning something, so it’s been wonderful to feel that Stark Library always has the resources to help me expand and grow - professionally, personally, and as a parent.

The Library has been integral to my career development; I’m a financial advisor and a second-generation owner of Pleasant Wealth. With my Library card, I have access to Libby, which has helped me find audiobooks and eBooks on business concepts and personal productivity. When I hear a useful title at a conference, I jump on and download it immediately; I almost never have to purchase a hard copy book these days. Through LinkedIn Learning, I’ve discovered helpful human resources videos that I’ve shared with my team at the office - passing on the gift of education and furthering their professional development. And it’s been so convenient to utilize the notary services for our business needs on multiple occasions.

We love the physical spaces of Stark Library as well; they’re perfect for connecting with and building rapport with others. My brother, Clinton, and I used a study room downtown to develop a strategic plan for our business, and we’ve reserved North Branch meeting rooms several times to hold workshops on topics like college planning and prepping for retirement. Not only has the Library helped us welcome our clients into a warm and friendly place, but these open-to-the-public offerings have helped us connect with new members of the Stark community as well. Our experiences were so fantastic that I suggested that the Women’s Impact board, of which I’m a member, begin meeting there as well.

Stark Library has played an important part in Nate’s professional trajectory as well. Those study rooms were a quiet sanctuary when he was studying for the GRE en route to getting accepted to an MBA program, and LinkedIn Learning provided the tools he needed to study for a Microsoft certification he needed for his job. To decompress, he’d download some of his favorite non-fiction authors’ audiobooks on hoopla. The Library has been a safe, quiet place for independent exploration and enrichment.

There’s literally no end to the ways Stark Library has influenced us over the past 15 years. In fact, I just found out that I can read The Canton Repository on Newsbank with my card - which I’ll be doing next time I go!