What is the best way to get to know a librarian? By getting them to talk about books, of course! Each month, we will introduce you to one of the librarians of Ohrstrom Library. This month, we talked to Ms.Sarah Ludwig, our Library Director.
We asked Ms. Ludwig…
What was your first library?
“I grew up visiting the Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock, Vermont. As a very young child I visited the library with my family, and in elementary school my mother started working there – she actually went on to be the director. It was a bit of a home away from home, and I still like to visit the library when I travel to Woodstock.”
Who are your top five favorite authors?
“Sylvia Plath, Zadie Smith, Audre Lorde, Lily King, and Ann Patchett. I will also include Margaret Atwood if we can leave off The Testaments!”
What are your three “desert island” books?
“I am going to cheat a little with some story collections: The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, and a book of Arthurian legends – probably The Once and Future King.”
What is the last book that made you laugh or cry or both?
“Lately I’ve been reading lighter books that don’t make me cry, but a book that really made me sob was All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud while reading a book, and Samantha Irby is one of the few writers who can.”
If you could time travel, when and where would you go?
“I’d go to Greenwich Village in the 1950s so that I could pretend to be a part of the literary scene there. I’d try to bump into writers like William S. Burroughs, Margaret Mead, or James Baldwin on the sidewalk.”
What is your favorite room in Ohrstrom Library?
“I love the Baker Reading Room (the large room overlooking the pond), but if I want to work quietly and focus, my favorite room is the Shakespeare Room, which overlooks the Chapel. Every space in the library is so beautiful, so it’s hard to choose just one!”
What was your favorite subject/class in school?
“Unsurprisingly, English. I have always loved to read and write and talk about books. In college, I went on to be an English major, but I also double majored in History. I hadn’t really enjoyed History in high school, but I had some terrific History professors in college who really helped me fall in love with the subject.”
Why do you like being a librarian at SPS?
“I love working with the library staff. We have such a wonderful group of people here, and they make me proud to be a part of this team. And of course, we have such amazing students. I am so appreciative of how much SPS students love their library. I am very lucky to be a part of this community!”
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