When she was younger, Clare Coleman said her mother would always tell her she would make a great librarian. She considered it the definition of uncool.

“My vision was of old ladies with hair buns and glasses who shushed people,” she said.

That changed after she graduated from McNeese State University with a history degree. Having no desire to teach, Coleman decided to get a master’s degree in library science at Louisiana State University. She said she was hooked after taking her first class in that field.

“It always appealed to me because I love the concept of everyone, no matter their situation in life or level of education, being able to learn and improve themselves,” she said. “I love being a part of that.”

Coleman has worked at various area libraries, including the Calcasieu Parish Public Library’s main branch on Ernest Street, Iowa Library and Sulphur Regional Library. She has been the Jeff Davis Parish Library director since January 2019.

A Lake Charles native, Coleman spent her youth in Topsy before moving to Jennings in the sixth grade. After graduating from Jennings High School, she attended McNeese, where she would meet her husband, Eric. The two met while building the original Millennium Park near the lakefront that was later destroyed by an intentional fire in 2011.

“I was in a management position where I told everyone what to do; Eric got stuck digging post holes,” she said, laughing.

After graduating from McNeese, Coleman got her first library job at the Calcasieu Parish Library. While there, she obtained her master’s degree from LSU, taking satellite video courses at McNeese.

Eric later graduated from McNeese with a chemical engineering degree, and the two moved to Delaware. After spending a year there, they moved to Texas, where she worked for Victoria Public Library. They returned to Lake Charles in 2010, and she became the manager for Central Library on Ernest Street.

Coleman said larger libraries offer a wider range of projects, but they can lack the one-on-one interaction with patrons found at smaller libraries. Working at a smaller library also allows for easier adjustments, something she saw plenty of throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upon taking the job at the Jeff Davis Library, Coleman said she updated the technology to Office 365 and started transitioning files to virtual so employees could work remotely.

“I never dreamed we would be doing it,” she said. “When 2020 hit and we had to shut down, the majority of staff were able to work from home. Those who couldn’t, worked at the branch, even though it was closed.”

Coleman said the library navigated as COVID-19 mandates changed, first offering curbside services, as well as grab-and-go bags that included activities for children. Not being able to offer outreach at nursing homes was particularly difficult, she said.

Because the Jeff Davis library doesn’t attract large numbers of visitors, it was able to open to the public quicker than others during the pandemic, Coleman said.

Coleman said the internet helped keep libraries afloat when she first started working at them. Library staff had to shift their focus toward teaching people how to use computers.

Another big change is the increased amount of internet access within the last two year, Coleman said.

“The internet became so much more affordable,” she said. “We are seeing fewer people coming into the building because they don’t need us for internet or computers.”

Attendance may be smaller, but Coleman said the Jeff Davis Library still has plenty of patrons who read books from the vast online collection.

After Hurricane Laura’s landfall last year, Coleman said the Jeff Davis Library opened as soon as power and internet was restored. Attendance grew, with residents from Calcasieu, Cameron and Beauregard parishes driving there.

“We had a lot of people applying for FEMA assistance and filing insurance claims,” she said. “Early on, the Cameron Parish Police Jury contacted us because the FEMA relief workers needed maps of the parish.”

Coleman said her and Eric’s Moss Bluff home sustained minimal damage from Hurricane Laura. She considers herself lucky.

“We have neighbors whose homes are totaled,” she said.

Still, it took two months for power to be restored at their home. She and Eric moved around, spending a month in an apartment in Jennings with her brother’s family. She also stayed with her parents in Jennings and with family in Texas. They even took a trip to Upper Peninsula, Mich.

“We went wherever we could,” she said.

The people, Coleman said, is the main reason she has remained in Southwest Louisiana.

“When natural disasters happen, you realize you want to be near family,” she said. “You want to be near good people that will help you. That exists in Louisiana for sure.”