AWC librarian: Yuma is great place for opportunities

Angie Creel-Erb says she feels like one lucky librarian.

The director of Library Services at Arizona Western College not only works at a "truly fantastic library," but Creel-Erb also gets to advocate for libraries all over Arizona. She's president of the Arizona Library Association, an organization that certainly hasn't had many leaders from Yuma.

"Past presidents have been like Tucson, Tucson, Phoenix, Phoenix - and then me," Creel-Erb quipped. "I personally don't know if there's ever been a president from Yuma before."

The Yuma librarian speaks of the pride that comes from serving her profession, but she stresses that being president right here in Yuma makes the honor all the more meaningful.

"I think this is great for Yuma - it has been awesome for me," Creel-Erb said, adding that she loves seeing Yuma in the state spotlight. "We can take advantage of this opportunity to spread the news about what Yuma has to offer."

Creel-Erb, 33, works in top position at the AWC-NAU in Yuma Academic Library. She's also a pioneer with that job. She is the first person to hold the position since it was resurrected in 2003. For positive and good-natured Creel-Erb, getting to serve the community college in that position simply amounts to another blessing in her life.

"I just feel lucky in everything I've been involved in since coming to Yuma. This is a great community for finding opportunities, I think. I feel I have kept up with challenges and changes without having to move on to a bigger city. Opportunities have just kept falling in my lap since I got here."

Creel-Erb and her husband moved to Yuma in 1998, just after she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in anthropology and master's in library and information science.

Creel-Erb grew up in the rural Berkshires region of Massachusetts, but in 1992 graduated from high school in Bloomington, Ind., where her dad worked for the U.S. Postal Service and her mom works as a nurse.

But as a little girl, Creel-Erb wasn't dreaming of the Dewey Decimal System. She

dreamed of growing up to become something a bit different: a ballerina.

"I danced all through high school and college. Dancing is great because you get to lose yourself in it and you're also doing something very physical. You can make your body do things you can't normally do."

Instead of ballet, her dancer's heart ultimately fell in love with Middle Eastern dance. A career in dance obviously spoke to her imagination, but Creel-Erb decided to follow her other passion. Becoming a librarian made great sense for the young woman who had always been quite a bookworm.

"Oh, I pored over books growing up. My parents have a huge library of books. My parents are big library users, so I've been going to libraries since before I could walk. Reading has always just been a part of who I am."

For proof that she's in the perfect profession, folks only need to see Creel-Erb's progression through three pretty demanding positions at the AWC-NAU academic library. She started out as a reference librarian whose main job was managing the staff at the circulation desk.

"I had never supervised anyone before!" Creel-Erb said, smiling. "I was 23 and I was supervising 12 to 15 students and part-time workers."

She was then promoted to the newly created position of distance-education librarian. In that job, she reached out to and formed partnerships with libraries throughout Yuma and La Paz counties. "That way we don't have to have a whole library in San Luis. We can partner with the public library."

Creel-Erb arrived at her director spot in 2003.

She says that working at any library provides rich rewards, but she emphasizes that academic libraries offer their own special magic moments.

"You get to see people change their lives by using the library and getting their education. It's a wonderful thing to see. I'm so glad to be able to have a part in it."

But don't get the idea that Creel-Erb's life is all about work. In many ways this Yuma gal takes her play just as seriously. She still has Middle Eastern dance in her life. She performs with Jewels of the Desert and a drum-dance group called Banat Tabla, which means "Daughters of the Drum." The latter group recently performed at the Two Rivers Renaissance Faire.

"I've always been involved in a lot of creative pursuits. I always need to be doing something creative," she said, raving about her new-found love of drumming. "Those drumbeats are in my head. I never thought I would be a good drummer, but oh my gosh, it's so much fun!"

On top of all that dancing and drumming, Creel-Erb and her husband play in an electronica band with friends in Phoenix. They haven't performed publicly, but they jam every time they're together.

But spare time isn't a luxury she gets to enjoy much these days, especially with her presidency of the state librarian group. The work is plentiful, but she praised the library staff for being very supportive during this special time.

"It's like a second full-time job, but I'm so glad to be doing this. To have strong community service and stewardship, that's important to me. Again, I just feel lucky."

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.