Stacy Merry is the new Henderson County Public Library Director. She was raised, attended school, and held her very first job in Henderson County.
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Stacy Merry is the new Henderson County Public Library Director. She was raised, attended school, and held her very first job in Henderson County.
Stacy loves small-community life and holds many fond memories of growing up in rural Biggsville. Living just next door in Kirkwood keeps deep ties to the area intact.
Stacy remembers many trips to the Henderson County Library back when it was located on Main Street, where she would look through the card catalog to find books for school research projects.
The arrival of the big blue bookmobile at school also brought excitement, as students could select books to borrow. Becoming library director, however, was never anticipated.
For the past 29 years, her passion has been in early childhood education. Stacey received her associate’s degree in child development in May 1996 from Carl Sandburg College. Just three months later, she began her career at Sandburg’s Children’s School, a childcare center and lab school. She worked there from August 1996 until its closure in June 2014.
Over the next five years, Stacey taught preschool at Costa Catholic Academy in Galesburg, at Head Start in Monmouth, and served as a paraprofessional at United West Elementary.
In September 2019, a position started with the Regional Office of Education #33 as a Preschool Family Educator.
During six years with the ROE, close collaboration took place with Bright Futures Preschool in the Galesburg CUSD #205 school district.
This role involved working alongside teachers and families to strengthen the home-school connection.
Book folders were provided for over two hundred students, with a book cart rolled to each classroom so children could choose a book to keep for the week. The excitement on book day always brought joy.
Family education and engagement events were also planned and implemented, goals set with families, and resources supplied as needed.
These varied career experiences are expected to prove valuable in the library director role.
She is excited to work with the families in the community where she grew up.
She has volunteered at several events hosted by the library, and she looks forward to now helping plan and bring those events to life.
The small county library offers many outstanding programs, and she anticipates contributing to its continued growth.