LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock woman who grew up visiting her local libraries has landed a job at one of its branches — and the librarians who hired her recognized her from childhood.
Macy Young recently joined the staff at Patterson Branch Library. Growing up, Young was a regular at all of the Lubbock Public Libraries, but especially the Godeke Branch, where librarian Julie Baldwin worked at the time.
When Young’s application for customer service representative arrived at Patterson Library a couple months ago, Baldwin said she immediately recognized the name.
“I went, ding, ding in my brain. I said, Theresa, we need that young lady. She came to Godeke when I worked there. She went to all the programs,” Baldwin said. “She read a ton of books. She always was, you know, she was a big library person. Sometimes she’d just hang out and just read books for the fun of it.”
Baldwin said she had even given Young a nickname during those years.
“I called her LK, Library Kid, because that’s where she wanted to be and she enjoyed it,” Baldwin said.
Young said she had always wanted to work at a library but ended up selling car insurance, after she and her husband left Lubbock so he could attend dental school. When the couple returned to her hometown, she decided to pursue her childhood dream.
She said she checked for openings every Saturday until a position at Patterson Library became available.
Young said she was moved to learn that Baldwin remembered her.
“I feel like it’s just in human nature to want to be known and seen. And them remembering me as a kid after they were the ones that had really impacted me and made me want to apply to work at the library just made me feel so good,” Young said.
Baldwin said she became emotional when Young told her the library had inspired her career path.
“I thought, this is that one child that really wants to be here and that makes me very happy. And then she told me that she became a librarian because of me and I was like, they get you right here in the heart. You’re like, wow. And I got a little teary-eyed when she said that. But anyway, it was emotional,” Baldwin said.
Young now helps run the summer reading program — the same one she participated in as a child. Baldwin is retiring soon, but said she expects Young to carry on the library’s mission.
“If you can create a positive memory about a library, then you’re going to want to come back. So we want it to be as good a memory as we can possibly make it, and that is what we do,” Baldwin said.
Young said the career change has been worth it.
“I love it. I absolutely love it. And, you know, sometimes you think the grass is greener on the other side and you kind of, I took a little bit of risk to take this job and it’s been wonderful,” Young said.
The theme for this year’s summer reading program is “Unearth a Story.” It’s going on through the end of July. Whether readers are just learning how to read, or are 99, they can read books to earn prizes. Follow this link to the city’s website to sign up.
Copyright 2026 KCBD. All rights reserved.