“What’s next?”

This is the question that keeps her on her feet, the question she asks herself and gets asked every day. Whether it’s a student asking her for another book recommendation, or her trying to manage her day, she tries to have an answer. 

Librarian Deborah Zeman is new at the school after working at Hedrick Middle School for the last three years. Zeman spent 10 years in publishing, followed by 16 years of teaching English and is now in her ninth year of being a librarian. She entered the publishing world in New York, where she did inventory management for various book clubs. She then taught English at an alternative school before her husband was transferred to Frisco in 2002. 

“I’ve always wanted to work here,” Zeman said. “I heard about Hebron’s reputation, the community and how everybody’s very welcoming. Four days into inservice, I had four separate teachers [tell me,] ‘We’re so excited. Look at the energy you’re bringing. Oh, this is all we want.’ And I’m like, I’m just doing my job. That’s what I do.” 

Zeman participates in English-related committees outside of LISD, such as the Texas Library Association, the Texas Computer Education Association, the American Library Association and the International Society for Technology in Education. Hebron 9 librarian Shannon Whiteley has known Zeman for four years, and said Zeman’s experience and encouragement is what got her to apply for the TAYSHAS committee, which she is now the chairperson of.

“[She’s] never met a stranger,” Whiteley said. “She’ll talk to anybody about anything. As soon as we started working together, we were friends because we both loved books so much. She’s much more experienced than I am, [and] she’s the one that encouraged me to apply for [TAYSHAS. She] got me into a place in the library world where I felt like I could have a voice.”

Library aide Kathy Lemay said that all librarians she has worked with have known books well, but Zeman has connections with authors and is extremely good with technology. Zeman said she plans on adding different technological elements to the library this year in addition to the 3D printers. So far, she has created a Canvas page for students that has anything from announcements to games, contests and book recommendations.

“She’s a whirlwind,” Lemay said. “I call her super librarian, because she’s involved in so many committees [and] she has so many ideas. Students here have been so good with technology, so she’s bringing the library up to that standard, and just going along with students.”

Zeman said an important part about being a librarian is being able to connect with the students. She said she tries to keep up to date with new shows and movies so she can ask them what they enjoy in order to find that perfect match. Zeman said she tells them that no matter what their background is or what they enjoy, there’s a book on that shelf for everyone. 

“I already had a student that we did the genre personality quiz [with,] and afterwards, I gave him a copy of a graphic novel version of a book,” Zeman said. “A couple of days later he came back, [and] he [said], ‘that book was great.’ All I [needed] to know is that I made that connection with that kid, and I was able to give him another book, and in the next couple of days, he’ll come in and say, ‘OK, what’s next?’”

When she was at Hedrick, Zeman worked on a project where she spotlighted different authors and had lifesize bookmarks with quotes on them, which she’s trying to do at Hebron. Zeman said the library is the hub that is the center of the school and is more than just the books on the shelves.

“[The library] is the heart of the school,” Zeman said. “If you don’t have that, you’re going to lose all that opportunity with kids to get them involved and get them reading. I’m not just about the books there. I have this mantra that I came up with because someone said to me, ‘I thought all you did was read and eat chocolate all day.’ My response to that is, it’s not just books and Bonbons. It’s the information that [I learned from] my degree, where people know I will find the answer.”