“I feel that I was destined for this job,” claims Cordell Library Manager, Rhonda Schmidt. “My parents, my Great-grandmother and my Great-great Aunt all instilled a love of reading during my early years. I got my first library card at the old Cordell Carnegie Library when I was 5. I loved climbing up those steps and going into a world surrounded by so many books and the worlds they opened for me.”
Rhonda loves introducing children to reading. She feels that introducing the very young to the library can create a life-long love of reading and learning. She also has a special fondness for history and was excited to begin an Adult History Discussion Group for others of a like mind. While interested in many historical eras, her favorite is European Middle Ages–specifically medieval England. Rhonda is an active member of the Society of Creative Anachronism, an educational group that researches and recreates the Middle Ages. She is the current leader of the local western branch known as the Canton of Haldtre.
She was certified as a Public Librarian by the Oklahoma Library Association in 2007 and is a member of the Oklahoma Library Association, the Public Library Association, and the American Library Association.
Rhonda says, “Every day is still new and exciting at the library, so I’m planning to stay as long as I can be useful here,” Rhonda says. “I enjoy helping others find information or that good story to entertain them. Maybe someday I’ll find time to write my own stories as well.”