Alumna Dawn Gaug revs up the Person County Library Book Mobile
Dawn Gaug has a new nickname in Person County: the Library Lady. A 2025 graduate of UNC Greensboro’s Master’s in Library and Information Science program and one of the first to also earn her Public Library Concentration, Gaug is revamping outreach program with the Person County Public Library. Among her initiatives are the Book Mobile which she takes to preschools, retirement communities, and events in the county.
“It’s so encouraging that you instantly see that you’re making a difference and bringing joy to people,” Gaug says. “The patrons are looking in my bins and saying, ‘What have you got?’ It just doesn’t get any better than that.”
Library Service Sparks Return to School
Gaug’s inspiration to earn her MLIS came some 30 years after earning her undergraduate degree and retiring from her career to focus on a family health crisis. Once all were healthy and thriving, Gaug’s youngest daughter gave her a push.
“She turned to me and said, ‘Mom, you need a job. You’re bored. I don’t need you anymore. You need to go back to work,’” Gaug says. “She dragged me into a library, showed me a ‘help wanted’ poster and said, ‘You love the library. You need to be here.'”
That push was exactly what she needed. Gaug accepted a part-time job at her local library.
“I got bitten by the library bug and absolutely knew for sure that’s where I needed to be,” she says.
Gaug learned she needed a master’s degree to be eligible for a full-time position at the library. She found UNCG’s program and took the leap. Her older daughter, Sarah, now a circulation supervisor at Thornton Library in Granville County, entered the program as well.
“It was great to have a buddy and cheerleader coming through it with me after 30 years of school,” Gaug says. “We were the first to graduate under the new public librarian concentration.”
The 36-credit program is built for professionals looking to pivot as Gaug did by offering a fully online program. Accredited by the American Library Association and ranked No. 2 in North Carolina for Best Library and Information Studies programs, the flexible, online concentration encourages students to customize their courses to fit their career aspirations. Students complete project-based experiences applied to their work to help them establish a portfolio during their capstone project.
“I have recommended UNCG’s MLIS program to so many colleagues in the library,” Gaug says. “The faculty were really focused and invested in making sure we as students were ready for the workplace. Beyond the theory of core courses, 90% of the program was intended to be very practical about getting you in the job you want to be in, knowing what to do, and how you can make a difference in expanding and protecting library services.”
Revamping Outreach through Library Services
One of her course projects helped Gaug discover what would become a passion for her new position with the Person County Library.
“I did a semester-long research project with older adult communities,” Gaug says. “I surveyed several different communities, found out what they needed, what the Baby Boomer community looked like, and designed some strategies for satisfying their needs. That project pushed me in a direction I didn’t even know I wanted to go in.”
As the outreach librarian, Gaug is recreating the program to include service to senior communities. She takes books to fill their libraries and works with their activity directors to develop book clubs, crafts, and other projects to enhance their experience.
“Getting books to patrons who can’t physically come to the library is a big part of my initiative,” she says. “Beyond visiting these communities, we’re starting a book bundle service so a patron can send a caregiver to pick up a curated set of materials.”
The Book Mobile also makes stops at preschools and daycares where Gaug delivers books and early literacy programs.
“It’s like I’m sneaking the vegetables in on them with an entertaining, interactive story time that’s also teaching them things like letter sounds, rhythm and rhyme, and dialogical reading where we’re asking predictive and interpretive questions with the stories,” she says. “They think they’re just having fun storytime and I’m sneaking in pre-reading skills to them.”
Gaug credits the program and influential professors like Dr. Noah Lenstra and Dr. Julia Hersberger (now faculty emeritus) for pushing her to explore different areas of library information science and specialize in outreach.
“It really was formative for my position today. The resources, courses, and projects Dr. Lenstra encouraged me to take on the skills that I use every day in my work life,” she says.
Written by Alice Manning Touchette
Photography courtesy of Dawn Gaug
