Photo by Erin Nelson.
Heather Cover, one of the librarians at the Homewood Public Library, is retiring after 26 years of service.
A summer job fell into a lifelong love for now-retired Homewood Special Projects Librarian Heather Cover.
Cover first came to the Homewood Public Library as a young teenager, “volunteered” by her mom to work there over the summer.
She fell in love with the library and came back as a 16-year-old to work part-time in 1995. She did not leave for 26 years, until she retired at the end of 2021 from her role as the special projects librarian.
She was the special projects librarian for nine years but previously worked in the children’s and teen’s department.
A Homewood native who lives in Vestavia Hills, Cover said the changes she has seen over the years have been “crazy.”
“I remember a vendor … telling us about electronic paper,” she said.
The vendor told library staff that readers would be able to flip pages with the touch of a finger, and Cover said they thought he was crazy. But as she stepped away, she noted part of her job was ordering e-books for library patrons.
“It’s been an incredible amount of change,” she said.
Over the years, Cover said she has had great patrons and has enjoyed talking with people who love books about what they like and helping them find their next read. She also has enjoyed helping those who maybe are looking to start reading and don’t know where to start, she said.
She was a wonderful resource to have. She has such a passion for the library.
Judith Wright
Her love of the library can be traced back to the first time she worked at a library program. Those involved were getting messy and having fun, and it changed her previous idea of what a library does, she said. She realized the importance of programs and connecting with the community.
“You have to be a welcoming place,” Cover said. “You have to welcome ideas, as well as people. Be open to change. You have to have a heart for literacy and books, and connecting people with information.”
Cover said while it’s good to have the most recent bestsellers on shelves, she has learned it is just as important to talk with patrons about what interests them and ensure they can find it at their local library.
Working at the library for most of her adult life has made her more confident and self-assured, especially as she took on more leadership roles, she said.
While the physical layout of the library has not changed much since she joined the staff, Cover said programming has expanded. During the summer of 2019, before COVID-19 changed everything, the library averaged 100 events per month, which has been an even bigger change than e-books, she said.
“I think the programming is where we fit in Homewood,” Cover said.
Hosting events and programs allows people in the city to meet those like them and begin friendships, she said. The library is also a place where guests can use free Wi-Fi, and they don’t have to buy anything.
“It’s very rare to find someone who hates the library,” Cover said.
With the city of Homewood focused on education, the library serves an integral role in the city, Cover said. Beyond offering books, internet and programs, the library now offers other tools such as telescopes — something she would have never thought possible when she first started, she said.
The library’s assistant director, Judith Wright, said she first met Cover in 2010, and when Wright became full-time in the circulation department, she got a better idea of what all Cover did for the library.
“She was a wonderful resource to have,” Wright said. “She has such a passion for the library.”
Cover was key to making things happen, Wright said.
She is an exceptional organizer and would often think of things no other staff member was thinking about, and was instrumental in putting together popular programs like cocktail classes, where patrons could come and enjoy and learn how to make popular cocktails, Wright said.
Outside of the library walls, Cover has also become a wonderful friend, Wright said.
Looking forward to her retirement, Cover said she plans to spend time with her nephews, accompany her husband when he travels for work, and take up hobbies such as knitting, crocheting and baking.
And of course, she’ll be reading through her admittedly very long “to-read” list, she said.
