The South Central Regional Library in Winkler has a new branch librarian.

Randall Klassen is originally from Winkler, and has found his way back after his job hunt took him all the way to Edmonton.

"After high school I didn't really know what I wanted to do for a few years, so I tried a out a lot of different things," said Klassen.

It was difficult for him to find something he liked, but eventually his love for books made him decide to take the Library & Information Technology Program at Red River College.

"I graduated and I couldn't find work in Winnipeg or anywhere in Manitoba," said Klassen.

This is when he and a friend decided to try their luck in Edmonton, where Klassen worked at the Abbottsfield library for 3 years.

"It was really busy all the time, I worked in a really struggling... financially neighbourhood of the city, which was really interesting and it taught me a lot about how to deal with people and how to just talk to people."

Klassen decided to widen his job search after looking for a position in Manitoba

Klassen said he saw people needing the library for different reasons.

"Some kids need it because there's no where else to go after school," he said. "You see people who live on the streets who just hang out there every day and just read the magazines and need a place to stay warm."

Other people would use the library to apply for jobs, he added. Newcomers would also come and ask for help with immigration papers.

After three years in Alberta, Klassen decided to come back to Manitoba.

"This job came up back in Winkler and I thought, 'Life's strange, I guess we're going to try to come back to Winkler.'"

His favourite part of the job at a public library is getting to know people and being a part of the community.

"It's great to be a part of the community that I grew up in," said Klassen.