Wanda Wilson’s job at the Brewton Public Library has kept her busy for the past 23 years helping to make books and other published materials available to Brewton area residents.

Wilson began her career at Brewton Public Library in 1988 in the old building and has watched as the new facility took shape and electronic media gained ground as a focus.

“Now we have online renewals, and computer access for users–we’ve seen a lot of changes,” she said.

Wilson has a love of reading, she said, and picks books from a wide range of genres from science fiction to general fiction and even nonfiction.

“I read everything from westerns to romance,” she said, “but my favorite is probably Jane Eyre. I read it over and over, and I’ve read Pride and Prejudice many times.”

Wilson said she first became interested in library work when she was a work-study student at Jefferson Davis Community College. When a job opening was posted for the city, she applied and got the job, she said. Even though she left the library in 1999, she came back a year later and has been there ever since. Working with a great staff makes the job enjoyable, she said, and being surrounded by books is a comfort for an avid reader.

“People think that working at the library means we read all the time, but that is not the case,” she said.

Wilson keeps her personal reading strictly to her off time.

Workdays for Wilson are filled with cataloging books and other items at the facility, helping manage interns and the inter-library loan program as well as keeping magazines up to date, she said.

When she is not on the clock, she does her reading, enjoys doing crafts and walking. Wilson lives with her father, brother and sister in Escambia County and is one of eight children in her family.