Jane Kaftan

Catholic Library World Book Reviewer

Share something about yourself not related to librarianship.

I live in Sandusky, Ohio, with my husband and our three children. The kids all go to our local Catholic school, and it was through their faith and education (and helping with their homework) that I learned enough about Catholicism to join the faith through RCIA in 2011.

When and why did you get involved in the CLA?

I joined CLA in 2014 after my first year of graduate school. Raising children, working, and going to school part time prevented me from contributing much in the first few years. I certainly made the time to devour every issue of Catholic Library World (CLW), learning more about library issues specific to the Catholic faith, as well as getting some excellent book recommendations from the reviews section.

How has being involved with the CLA been important to your professional development?

With demands of family life, I am currently not working. I volunteer at the local library and at our children’s school, and being able to review books for CLW has allowed me to stay in the game a bit, too. I enjoy providing busy librarians with information to help them make good decisions in their collection development. Eventually I will get back out there, and I think being a member of CLA and contributing to CLW will help me take that step when my family is ready.

Tell us about what inspired you to become a librarian, and a little bit about your career transition.

After I earned my undergraduate degree I worked in social work, mainly with children and families. After about ten years I joined a retail group and opened a children’s bookstore. It was a wonderful experience for several years, but one night I was lamenting the price of books to my husband. No kidding, I said to him, “I wish I could just have books for people that they could take home and enjoy then bring back to me for someone else to read.” He broke the news to me gently that it’s already been done, and we call them libraries. Thus, the seed was planted that I should seek a career in librarianship.

You wrote the biography about Kate DiCamillo in this issue. How is your interest in the Regina Medal linked to your professional interests?

All you have to do is look at the long list of award winners and it is a “who’s who” in children’s literature: authors, illustrators, educators, and library advocates. Wherever my career takes me, it will not be far from children’s literature and the Regina medalists. It was a particular joy to write about Kate DiCamillo as this year’s winner, she is surely a favorite in our house.