Whitaker finds job fit in Madison

LeAnna Whitaker moved to Madison to accept her job as Youth Services Librarian at Madison Public Library. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – LeAnna Whitaker works as a Youth Services Librarian at Madison Public Library.

“I moved to Madison for two reasons. First, I was looking for a library position working with youth, and Madison Public Library was hiring a youth services librarian. And secondly, I wanted to be closer to my mom, who lives in the Harvest area,” Whitaker said.

Harvest is the community where Whitaker grew up. She attended Monrovia elementary and middle school and then Sparkman High School. “Madison isn’t very different from the community I grew up in, and Harvest is just a 15-minute drive away,” she said.

“I enjoy Madison because of the community it provides. It is a fairly large city, so it affords residents lots of different experiences, cuisines and so forth,” Whitaker said. “That diversity encourages acceptance of others and growth as an individual.”

In college, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in 2012. Then, Whitaker moved to Champaign, Ill. and began a master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Whitaker completed her master’s degree in spring 2015. She has worked at a variety of jobs in Huntsville, Champaign and Urbana.

“I sing soprano in the newly formed chamber choir, Ensemble Namarie, here in Huntsville. It was great to be invited to participate in a chorus with many of my colleagues from UAH,” she said.

Her taste in cuisine leans to oriental with Benton Box on Hughes Road as her favorite eatery.

When it comes to music, her taste is much more diverse and “fairly eclectic. The genres I listen to most are hard rock and metal, but I also like Indie, folk and punk music.” Whitaker’s playlist is likely to include Metallica, The Decemberists, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Billie Holiday.

When she’s away for job duties at the library, Whitaker enjoys reading, hiking and singing.