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Photo courtesy of Hoover Public Library
Eloise Martens Sara Rast
Hoover Library Board members Eloise Martens, at left, and Sara Rast are stepping off the board on Dec. 1, 2018, following 36 and 13 years of service, respectively.
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Photo courtesy of Hoover Public Library
George Farmer Hoover Library Board
The Hoover Public Library Board, sometime between 2009 and 2012, included, from left, Sara Rast, Michael Krawcheck, John Lyda, George Farmer and Eloise Martens.
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Photo courtesy of Hoover Public Library
George Farmer Hoover library 2nd groundbreaking 1999
Hoover Councilman David Bradley, at left, joins Hoover Library Board members at the groundbreaking for a major expansion of the Hoover Public Library in 1999. Joining Bradley, from left, were library board members Bill Barnett, George Farmer, Eloise Martens, Mary Lou Allen and Michael Krawcheck.
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Photo courtesy of Hoover Public Library
Hoover Public Library groundbreaking 1991
Hoover Library Board members pose for a photo during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hoover Public Library off Municipal Drive in 1991. Board members, from left, were Mary Lou Allen, Bob Griffis, Bob Austin, Eloise Martens and George Farmer.
The Hoover City Council is looking for two people to serve on the board of directors for the Hoover Public Library in conjunction with the departure of two longtime board members.
Eloise Martens, who was on the original library board appointed in 1982, is stepping down after 36 years of service, and Sara Rast, appointed in February 2005, is leaving with 13 years of service to the library, said Hoover Councilman Casey Middlebrooks, who is the council’s liaison to the library. Both of their current four-year terms end Dec. 1.
“They both have been fierce supporters of the library,” said Middlebrooks, who formerly worked at the library before taking a librarian job with Hoover City Schools. “We’ll definitely miss their experience and tenure on the board.”
Both of them decided it is time to pass the torch to other residents, Middlebrooks said.
Martens is scheduled to be honored by the Jefferson County Library Cooperative as a “library champion” at the cooperative’s holiday luncheon on Dec. 4.
"She's just wonderful," said Pat Ryan, the director of the cooperative who also formerly worked at the Hoover Public Library for more than a decade. "She's been such an asset for the library."
Hoover residents who wish to apply for a library board seat can do so by submitting a letter of interest and resume to the Hoover city clerk’s office at the Hoover Municipal Center by 5 p.m. on Nov. 9. Middlebrooks said he expects the council to fill the seats at its Nov. 19 meeting.
The Hoover Library Board has five members, each serving a four-year term. Other current members include Ruth Cole, Colleen Eikmeier and Hal Humphrey.
The ideal candidate is an active library user, passionate about the library’s mission and committed to a customer-driven philosophy, according to a job description provided by the city.
Duties include: attending meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. (unless rescheduled by a majority vote); establishing library policy and bylaws; overseeing the library’s budget and financial expenditures; selecting, supervising and reviewing the library director; and attending library and city functions as necessary.