Nicole Huntzinger first joined WPLS as a Substitute Librarian for the Sentinel and Cordell branches back in March 2010. During the following years, while also working at Cordell, Sentinel, and at Hobart’s Head-Start Facilities as a Teacher’s Aid/Cook when not needed at the library, Nicole was promoted as Cordell’s Assistant Librarian. In 2013, when Janet McEwen retired as Sentinel’s Librarian, Nicole was offered and accepted the position to manage the Sentinel Public Library.
Nicole received her Level II certification as a public librarian from the Oklahoma Library Association in June 2014, where she is a member and has since become a member of the American Library and Public Library Associations; Public Libraries Division of OLA; and Social Responsibilities Roundtable of OLA. In March 2016, she received a Level I Designation Certificate in the Consumer Health Information Specialization Program from the Medical Library Association.
Born and raised in a community filled with love, laughter, and many, many books, Nicole remembers playing “Librarian” many times with siblings and cousins using ink-stampers, fun-with-food containers for card catalogs and monopoly money for the exorbitant fines they charged each other. From Dr. Seuss to Nancy Drew and from Alcott to Shakespeare, Nicole has always loved reading and learning new words. “Not many people get to enjoy their dream job combined with a love of learning, but I do!” says Nicole. “Being a librarian and getting to help find that special book or specific piece of information that the patron is looking for is a challenging reward. I have learned many things over the years working at the libraries and am blessed to be included in the WPLS Family!”
