Handel takes charge at Medford library

Medford native takes reins as library director

Maxx Handel, 25, is the new director of the Frances L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford.

While she is new to the position, she has a lot of experience with the library dating back to attending summer reading programs as a child. Handel’s first memory of visiting the library was attending a program with exotic animals including a giant snake.

“They were explaining the snakes and their habitat,” she said. “It was a great experience.”

Describing herself as being a book nerd, Handel said she took to reading early and going through books rapidly. “My mom called me a hibernator,” Handel said noting her other family members don’t share her passion for reading to the same extent. Even as a youngster, Handel said she would like to cuddle up and read all day or reading to her pets. “I had a knack for going through so many books,” she said.

As a voracious reader, she recalls going through the Harry Potter book series at one book a day, she was always looking for new things to read and trying to convince the school librarian to allow her to check out more books than they were allowed to at the Medford Area Middle School library.

As she got older, Handel found a kindred spirit with high school librarian Arlene Heier who got her involved with library club, and battle of the books.

It was Heier who prompted Handel to apply for a Friday night shelving position at the Medford Library while in high school under director Ann Harris. “It was the first official library job I had,” she said. Handel worked as a shelver into her freshman year of college, but her passion for libraries continued.

Handel is the daughter Alan and Toni Handel of Medford, and is a 2014 graduate of Medford Area Senior High School. She attended UW-Eau Claire where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in public history with a minor in library science. Since completing school, Handel has worked at a number of positions including a stint at Marathon Cheese. She knew libraries were where she wanted to be and most recently was working at Augusta Library and Woodman’s Market in Eau Claire. While in school she interned in the University of Wisconsin archives and at the Fall Creek public library.

Even though she had moved away from the area, Handel said she would still keep up with the happenings of the Medford library and learned of the opening for a library director. She said she had dreamed of coming back to Medford, but had figured there would not be any openings for a long time. When she saw the posting and had the qualifications needed for the job, she quickly applied. She said in the next few weeks she got phone calls and even had one of her family members mail her the ad from The Star News.

“I couldn’t have missed it if I tried,” she said.

Handel was on her lunch break at Woodman’s when she got the call from the library board that she had been hired. The next day, she put in her two weeks notice at both the store and the Augusta library and prepared to start at Medford.

The past year has been a challenging one for many workplaces and has been especially disruptive for public libraries. Many libraries have had to cancel ongoing popular programs due to concerns over the ongoing pandemic. Medford is currently offering curbside access but remains closed for visitors and groups.

Handel explained that it is set up so people can access the library’s WIFI in the parking lot. People can also go online and request books from Medford and elsewhere through the online card catalog system.

Handel said the library board will be reevaluating the situation after the holidays with the goal of reopening the building in January depending on community health conditions. “I think it is mostly to see what the holidays bring,” she said.

Handel said her initial goal is to get the library open and to looking at restarting programs. “Having a full library again is something I would love to have,” she said.

She said she is looking forward to holding a reading program again this summer. That will be largely dependent on health conditions in the community.

Handel said Medford benefits from having a stable and qualified staff, which she said will help her through her learning curve of settling in as the director.

“Administration is hard,” she said, noting the burden of making financial decisions, setting budgets and dealing with personnel.

As far as management style, Handel said she believes in the need for maintaining mutual respect between herself and the staff. She said one of her goals is to learn more about each of the employee’s jobs so that she can serve as a back-up for them as well as having an understanding of any concerns they are having. “Everyone knows their job here,” she said, praising the hard work of the staff.

Handel and her fiancé Timothy Meerstein have a dog named Loki and a cat she says that acts like it is a dog. Meerstein works with autistic children with Wisconsin Early Autism Project (WEAP).

Maxx Handel is the new director at the Frances L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford.BRIAN WILSON/THE STAR NEWS