Katie Justice was part of BCPL long before she became a librarian. She remembers the excitement of attending the Lents Branch grand opening as a child. “Lents was my library; it’s where I got my library card!”
Katie credits the Lents staff from her younger years for leading her to where she is today. When she was in the 4th grade, Katie became obsessed with Egyptology. After reading every Egyptology book on the library’s shelves, the staff at Lents turned to ILL
(interlibrary loan) to provide more reading options for Katie. The Lents staff was supportive when Katie decided she wanted to be an archaeologist. But Katie was devastated when she discovered that you have to be a native Egyptian in order to dig in Egypt. About the only thing the Lents staff could not do was make her a native Egyptian! So Katie moved on to new subjects. She would find a topic of interest and learn everything she could on that subject. At one point, Katie had read every book in the teen section at the Lents Branch. It was Katie’s experience as a patron at the Lents Branch that made her decide at age twelve to be a librarian. In addition, her experience made her want to someday work at BCPL. And guess where she turned to complete her college applications! On a side note, I must add that Katie is so full of facts that the average person would not know. Seriously, ask her anything!
Katie comes from a very close family and is the middle child of three siblings as well as being an aunt to a spoiled nephew. She has lived in Burlington, Boone County her whole life except for time at the University of Louisville studying English and Humanities: Modern Cultural Studies which is the closest she could come to a degree in pop culture. She received her MLS from the University of Kentucky.
Katie’s passion is anything pop culture (movies, TV, comic books, Disney, super heroes, etc). She will talk to anyone at any time about any pop culture topic. I challenge you to ask her anything about Disney to see if you can stump her! Katie also has a talent for crocheting which she learned from her mother. She later inherited her grandmother’s crochet pattern books. At Conner High School, Katie marched and played trombone in the school band. She was also a member of academic team and Governor’s Cup which isn’t surprising since she learned to read at age four! Katie’s hidden talent is that she can whistle continuously without stopping to take a breath.
Prior to BCPL, Katie worked at NKU’s Steely Library on the lending side of ILL (interlibrary loan) as well as a circulation assistant at Clermont County Public Library. During her undergrad years, Katie was the Assistant to the Director of the Honors Program at U of L, a newly created position in which she opened and closed the Honors House, ran the lab and handled any technical problems. She also had a few summer jobs including The Disney Store, Toys R Us and Lane Bryant. Finally she landed at BCPL in 2009 and has been with BCPL for ten years starting as a Reference Assistant, then Reference Librarian at the Main Library and now the Digital Services Librarian.
Katie met both her future husband and Stan Lee in the same weekend! She attended the Cincinnati Comic Expo in October 2016 where she met Lee, but more importantly she participated in a speed dating session in which she just “clicked” with Steve Justice. I can’t help but wonder if it was his last name that caught her attention! Their wedding in March 2019 was a memorable event with every single thing having a meaning including the blue stripe in Katie’s hair (it was blue when they met) and the light saber bouquet holders. They honeymooned in Disney World where they were invited to be the Grand Marshals in the Magic Kingdom Parade. And it’s important to note that this was Katie’s 21st trip to Disney World and Steve’s 1st trip to Disney World!!! I can’t think of a better person to be a tour guide for Steve!