Correspondent photos / Maurita Hoffman Lorena Hegedus, director of Hubbard Public Library, knew from a young age working as an educator and in a library was her calling.

HUBBARD — As a little girl, Lorena Hegedus knew she wanted to be a teacher and work in a library when she grew up. She played school and library during summer vacations and “made up little library cards that you would have to sign to check out a book — you know like the old cards?”

Hegedus acknowledged that she has been fortunate to have been both a teacher and a librarian.

She grew up in Mount Jackson, Pa., near New Castle. She obtained her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Grove City College and her Master of Library Science degree from Clarion University.

Hegedus began her teaching career at a small Christian school in Poland. She was a substitute teacher in the Mohawk school district and while there “helped start a preschool at the New Castle YMCA over 30 years ago,” she said.

She also taught at a Montessori school in Hawaii. Her first library job was at the F.D. Campbell Memorial Library in Bessemer, Pa.

“It was a small library. I started there as a circulation clerk and then became the director there, a job I held for about 15 years,” Hegedus said.

She has been the director of the Hubbard Public Library since November 2013.

“Although I don’t often work with patrons directly, I still feel the most important part of my job is customer service. Customer service is helping people find stuff and discover things,” Hegedus said.

She credited her staff as the “heart of customer service.” She said that since she has been at the Hubbard Public Library, five staff members have gone back to school. She noted that there “is something about the culture here that promotes the idea that ‘I could have a future in library science.'” She said, “It does her heart good that working at the HPL can be a steppingstone to a future career.”

When she was first hired in Hubbard, Hegedus said, “The board gave me a mandate to get the directors of the Trumbull County libraries back together.”

“We are amicable and supportive of each other’s endeavors. We share advice and resources. There’s a lot of collaboration within this group,” she said.

Since she has been director of the library, she has been instrumental in starting several projects. One of those is the Toy Lending Library, housed in a dedicated room in the library’s children’s section that features toys and games.

“Some just fun, some educational. We have dollhouses, riding toys and some tech things,” Hegedus said, noting the games have an educational piece but are fun and a way of learning together as a family.

Another innovation is the “Library of Things,” described as “a resource for adults who need a paper shredder, sewing machine, even traffic cones to block off areas for parties or to set up driver testing areas,” Hegedus said. There are also telescopes, which were part of a grant from the Columbiana County Astronomical Society and solar ovens.

Hegedus said she presented a virtual talk on solar ovens for the University of Algarve in Portugal.

“I am proud — we were the only participants from the United States. There were 25 countries involved, and it was rewarding to talk about a program we offer here,” she said. Solar Education One, a nonprofit organization in Hubbard, has been instrumental in developing classes to teach the use of solar power in cooking.

She participated in a podcast that “features Percussion Play, a company from which we purchased our outdoor musical instruments.”

Hegedus credited her “very talented, creative team” at HPL for the projects available at the library.

“I’m not perfect, but I try to lead with a servant’s heart, just as Jesus did,” Hegedus said.

One outdoor programming initiative is the Storywalk near the children’s area. Hegedus said the goal is “to bring the library outdoors.”

There is a Sensory Path with different walking surfaces as well as a Sensory Garden. She said “many ideas came from the children’s room staff and noted it took 18 months, but wind chimes and a waterfall were built outside. The intent is to engage the senses, something that can appeal to patrons who are not necessarily here to read. We want people to understand that we are part of nature,” Hegedus said.

Hegedus pointed out the website address of the HPL is “beyond-books.org.”

“This is what the HPL is about. We always want to be what the community wants. Our mission is to always provide access to books, information and technical help.” She said she wanted to continue reaching out to people and encouraging their use of the library.

Hegedus lives in Lowellville. Her daughter, Rebekah, lives in Columbus; her son, Devon, and his wife Emily live in New Castle with their two daughters.