Christal Bruner began helping out at the Mexico Audrain County Library as a high school student, assisting in the children’s section. Over 40 years later, she is still there.

The Mexico native serves as director of the library district, which includes branches in Vandalia, Farber, Laddonia and Martinsburg. Over those years, Bruner has performed almost every role, from page to cataloguer to assistant director. She earned a bachelor’s degree from William Woods University and her masters in library science from the University of Missouri.

1. How often do people ask you to recommend a book?

Oh my goodness — really all the time. We have a resource people can use in our card catalog that can recommend books by genre. If it’s a genre I’m not familiar with, I tell them to come on in. We can print off a list.

2. You still have a card catalog?

Well, we call it a card catalog. That’s the librarian in us. It’s online.

3. Being a librarian has changed a lot.

I remember typing cards that were in the card catalog. I’m glad we don’t have to do that anymore.

4. Do you miss the Dewey Decimal System?

We still have the Dewey Decimal System for our non fiction items. Bookstores have books in subject order. That’s all the Dewey Decimal System is, just with numbers.

5. When you travel, do you visit other libraries?

Whenever I vacation or visit family out of town I always visit the library. You like to see if they have programs you might want to develop. You get ideas. It’s fun. The Library of Congress is on my bucket list.

6. What do you read?

I love cozy mysteries and non fiction — biographies, American history — and I love to look at cookbooks. I might not make anything in them, but I love to look at them. I don’t really read romance novels, but I used to when I was young.

7. Did you have a favorite romance novel cover?

They used to always have someone with flowing hair, looking like a hero.

8. Do a lot of people read actual books instead of, say, Kindle?

Yes. A lot of people come in and check out physical books, but also get books on a device. My device is more for if I go to the doctor’s office or travel. But there’s something about turning pages. It’s different than looking at an electronic device, especially after looking at a computer all day.

9. Are the devices creating more readers?

I think so. One of the things we have is Hoopla. It’s made it easier for people on the go to get a book, to look at a movie or a television show -- all kinds of things. The electronics make it easier.

10. Is there a day when you’re no longer in the library?

I don’t really want to think about that, because I love libraries. But one day I’ll have to retire. I feel like there’s volunteer work I could do.