Students come to the library searching for books filled with adventure. What they do not know, however, is that the librarian checking out their books has her own incredible stories to tell.

Librarian Kathryn Levenson started working as the teacher librarian three years ago. Her longing for adventure, she said, arose from books.

“I remember very distinctly being probably about seven or eight and my mom reading the ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ to me [which was] about this family marooned on a tropical island,” Levenson said.

Sparked by her curiosity, she sought out the thrill of adventure novels, reading everything from “Robinson Crusoe” to wilderness survival guides. As she got older, Levenson, who lived in southern California, ventured outside of the book universe, her fascination for the world only growing, she said.

“From sixth grade through high school, I worked as a volunteer and interpretive guide at the Eaton Canyon nature center,” Levenson said. “I was down constantly at this nature center, working with naturalists or doing interpretive tours for groups.”

Through the nature center, Levenson, 16 at the time, came into contact with the local search and rescue team. Inspired by their work, she asked to join the male-only team. The men rejected her, saying that she was a young woman, and therefore, a liability. Instead, they introduced her to a new activity, Levenson said.

“I worked with two of the guys from the organization to learn rock climbing,” Levenson said.

Next, Levenson went off to UC Santa Barbara, majoring in archeology. Archeology, like one never-ending mystery novel, enticed Levenson, and soon she immersed herself in the field. During her second year, a professor got her a position at the York Archeological Trust. Later, she spent her third year of college at a British University, Levenson said.

“I went up to the Orkney islands, which are these islands up north of Scotland, and did a Viking dig up there,” Levenson said.

Levenson said that digging at on the Orkney Islands was like solving a mystery.

“You are trying to solve a puzzle at an archeological site, but you only have 20 percent of the pieces,” Levenson said.

Levenson said that the Viking site was especially interesting because there was a legend, mentioned in the “Orkneyinga Sagas”, tied to the location, that possibly featured the hearth that they had excavated.

“This one noble man had killed another guy by spearing him and thrusting him into the fire,” Levenson said.
After university, Levenson worked for several adventure travel companies. She organized and led the first legal U.S. trip to Vietnam and Cambodia after the trade embargo was lifted in 1992 at a company called Mountain Travel.

“The Vietnamese government really did not want us to drive from Saigon to Phnom Penh in Cambodia because they did not think it was safe because the Khmer Rouge were active,” Levenson said. “But I was like, ‘No, that is how I want to do it.’”

Later, Levenson said that she started her own adventure travel company called Top Guides: Treks and Tours.
“I had [the company] for five years,” Levenson said. “It was really fun. I did a lot of groundbreaking things in that business.”

Top Guides was one of the first U.S. companies to donate one percent of profits to charities. Additionally, Levenson co-founded a non-profit called Bay Area Partners in Responsible Tourism in the early 1990’s that encouraged eco-tourism, Levenson said.

“Now you go to a hotel and they say, ‘If you can use your towel a second time, hang it up,’ instead of throwing it on the floor,” Levenson said. “If you go to foreign countries, tread lightly leave only your footprints, take only photos. All of those kinds of things were things that our group [Bay Area Partners in Responsible Tourism] came up with.”

About 15 years ago, Levenson joined the Contra Costa Search and Rescue Team. Recently, she went to Paradise, California with the team after the Camp Fire.

“I was up in Paradise a couple days before Thanksgiving, helping with the search for human remains,” Levenson said.

Library assistant Amy Bouris said that Levenson always wants to help students when they come to the library.

“Some people just have that gene where they love finding things for people and helping people get what they’re looking for,” Bouris said.

Nooney said that when people come to the library, Levenson is there for them.

“She always cares for people,” Nooney said. “She makes sure that they are doing okay.”

Sophomore and library TA Sam Nooney said that he was surprised when he heard of Levenson’s adventures.

“It’s really cool,” Nooney said. “I didn’t know any of that. It shows how you don’t really know much about a person, but they can do so much.”