Millington Native Welcomed Home to Library
Long Hill Township Library recently welcomed Marie Salthouse as the library’s new Head of Patron Services.
Salthouse, who grew up in Millington, NJ, previously worked at the library from 2006 to 2013. “I walked in one day off the street as a 20-year-old college student, asked for a job, and was hired on the spot to work as a library assistant at the front desk,” she said. “Returning feels like coming home.”
Salthouse graduated summa cum laude from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. Before returning to the library, she spent 11 years working in museums, running educational tours and public programming. She held the roles of Curator of Education and Assistant Director at the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, NJ.
“There is a natural synergy between libraries and museums,” said Salthouse. “I get the same feeling standing among the stacks of books that I did in museum collections storage. You are the steward of these objects that serve to preserve knowledge and educate, whether an artwork, a historic artifact, or a book.”
As the new Head of Patron Services, Salthouse interacts with people who use the library and performs behind-the-scenes operations to help patrons get the best experience. These include managing the library’s periodicals and subscriptions, maintaining records, and tracking down missing materials.
“There is always something new and different happening,” Salthouse said of working at the library. “You never know what a patron will come in asking for—people want to read about and do research on all sorts of fascinating subjects.”
Salthouse said that she loves the library’s sense of community and seeing so many familiar faces come through and say hello. She wants patrons to know that the library staff cares and that no inquiry is too strange or obscure. “We’ll try to figure it out!”
ABOUT LHTL
Long Hill Township Library is located at 917 Valley Rd. in Gillette, NJ. Residents, taxpayers, and children attending school in Long Hill Township are eligible for a free library card, which grants access to more than 2 million items in the library’s shared collection. In addition to books, audiobooks, and other digital resources, the library offers free wifi, public computers, and meeting and study rooms. LHTL hosts a wide variety of programs and events for all ages: Learn a language, do arts and crafts, get tech help, or come play a round of mini-golf! Visit LongHillLibrary.org to learn more.
