Volunteer Spotlight: Carrie

Carrie Haner is the newest member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Wichita Public Library. She joined earlier this year and brings nearly three years of experience as a Friends volunteer to her new role.

Tell us more about the Board committee you’ve joined.

I was invited to join the Partners & Promotions committee. We are working on exciting opportunities to keep Friends members and library patrons excited and knowledgeable about what is going on with our organization. We have activities planned throughout the year to celebrate the library’s 150th anniversary and were hoping to attract more members to get involved.

What FWPL-related event are you looking forward to in 2026? 

We’ve got ideas to expand our outreach at all the branches, again coordinating with the 150th birthday celebration activities. I hope everyone will take part and join the fun. 

Can you share all the ways you volunteer? Do you have a favorite task? How much time do you typically volunteer every month?

When I first joined Friends to specifically volunteer, my role was to take the books that are sorted and fill the bookstore - placing them on the right shelves, attempting alphabetical order, and keeping everything straightened and looking nice. I have enjoyed learning more about genres that I wasn’t familiar with. I’m a big supporter of the #ReadICT Challenge and I especially enjoy assisting shoppers find a particular book or suggesting, “If you liked that, then you might like this.” The number of hours I volunteer each week depends on what’s going on with my “real” job, so it varies.

What made you initially decide to become involved with FWPL? 

I have always been a library patron and wanted to find a way to get more involved in my community and to meet more people. I stumbled upon the website and clicked on the How to Get Involved page. Someone reached out to me that the bookstore was needing volunteers. 

What's your favorite genre when shopping for a book to read? 

I read most any genre - fiction or nonfiction. I enjoy a good “Found Family” story, but the genre I read most is usually Contemporary Lit.

What are you currently reading? 

I’m reading Ian McEwan’s What Can We Know. I’m participating in a read along of Hermoine Lee’s bio of Edith Wharton. My current audiobook is Cider House Rules by John Irving and narrated by Grover Gardner. My poem-a-day habit is currently being fed by Poems of the Seasons with art by Gordon Beningfield. 

Favorite book you've found in our used bookstore or at a recent sale? 

Probably a poetry collection. I’m so glad our donors are sharing their poetry books! 

Why should someone become a member of FWPL?  

Libraries are important for our communities, offering so many resources and information access and making them available to all. Libraries offer so many good things and if sharing and learning are important to you, we invite you to join Friends and show your support.

Do you belong to a book club? What has been your club's favorite read? 

Yes, I am in two in real life (IRL) book clubs and participate in many reading groups and challenges through social and snail mail. A recent favorite was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

What are your other hobbies?

I enjoy participating annually in the Month of Letters program. It was initiated by an award-winning American author, Mary Robinette Kowai, to encourage people to write and mail more letters. Check it out at lettermo.com.I also enjoy baking pies. 

Which pie is your most requested? My husband requests I make the Old Fashioned Pecan Pie for his birthday and for Thanksgiving every year. (I don't use corn syrup.) I've been baking pie for too many years to count, but I started getting serious when I received a Christmas present of a cookbook called A Year of Pies by Ashley English (I just looked; WPL has 2 copies available). I made a pie each week that next year and I still rely on English's pie dough recipe. 

Did you attend a cooking class or did you learn pie baking from someone? I have enjoyed participating in a few pie crafting classes, but most of my knowledge is self-taught: lots and lots of practice.

Do you ever share recipes? I will share any recipe if asked. I also accept recipes when offered, though I can't guarantee to bake it right away. 

Where do your best recipes come from? I can't say any is a 'best' recipe because I like to try new ones! In fact, if asked to come up with a pie I've made in the past, it is likely I won't recall where I got it. I have stacks of printed recipes from here-there-and-everywhere tucked into all my many pie books.