Buffalo Library
Baranoff Elementary:
Trailblazers of the Future!
Mrs. Merriman:
A Little Introduction
The education field has always been in my "blood". I was raised by a teacher, so it was not a hard decision to make when I decided to study education at Texas Tech University. I taught for 10 years at Northwest High School in Justin, TX, I received my Master's Degree from Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX before moving to Illinois for my husband's job. After moving back to Texas, I stayed home with my 2 boys until my youngest started Kindergartern. At that point, I started volunteering and substitute teaching at Baranoff. I found my way into the library where I started working as the library clerk. I decided to go back to school for my Librarian Certification in the hopes of becoming a librarian! I enjoy working with students and spreading the love of reading to others. My husband and I have 2 boys that are in college (Texas Tech and Texas State) and 1 dog named Raider; we love traveling and attending baseball games at the different parks across the United States. When I have time, I love to read suspense books! Other than reading, my passion is CHOCOLATE! You may see me zipping around the neighborhood on my scooter.
Mrs. Kanbe:
A Little Introduction
Mrs. Kanbe has been an Austin resident since 1986, when she moved here from Honolulu, Hawaii. Imagine this city in a time when Brodie Lane was a grassland from Sunset Valley to 1626 and you could go faster than 6 miles per hour on Mopac! She has a degree in Freshwater Biology from what is now called Texas State University, and worked in a chemical laboratory for many years. Once her daughters were born however, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom and found her second calling while volunteering in the library at their school – Baranoff Elementary! She rekindled her love of children’s books there and hasn’t left since 2004. When she heard about the library clerk position at Baranoff opening up, she jumped at the chance and thus her second career was born. Her husband retired in 2022 and has become the stay-at-home dad to their dog Mickey and chinchilla Kiwi. Her two daughters are adults (for the most part :D); one lives in Austin, the other in Seattle. You can find her gardening, bird watching, reading, and giving her bestest dog treats when she’s not at school. Nothing makes her happier than to see kids excited to come to the library – happy readers are the best!
