Justin brings a humanistic approach to his engagements. He recognises that there will be people in the room with all kinds of views, and is able to be both kind in that process, while still being pragmatic about getting to a solution. His approach is always looks for the simplest, evidence-based outcome. This meant that his projects always found an elegant solution to our stubborn problems. Our staff and vendors loved working with Justin. He has a real can-do attitude, and shows a true appreciation of what everyone brings to the table.
-Laurinda Thomas, Manager, Libraries and Community Spaces, Wellington City Council
Justin turned our library team into an extended family. He has a unique talent for knowing where people need to be and encouraging them to follow that path, while offering all the support they need to succeed. -Jamie Boorman, Makerspace Specialist, Wellington City Libraries
We worked with Justin on launching an event in collaboration with VIVITA Aotearoa creativity accelerator and Johnsonville Library @ Waitohi Community Hub in Wellington, New Zealand. This was our first time working with the city council libraries which made us rely on Justin’s knowledge and expertise to navigate expectations and understand how to work effectively with the librarians and the public in the library space. We could not have had a better experience running a successful event thanks to the help from Justin and his team. Everything, from communication to expectation setting, was done exceptionally well. We were supported along the way, making the event a success. His insight into the community helped us to engage with the right group of participants, who, to date, are involved with our ongoing activities. Besides being a great human to work with, we could not recommend Justin more with his knowledge and experience. -Kadri Uljas, Co-Founder of VIVITA Aotearoa
As a manager Justin believes in supporting people to develop their potential. He certainly supported me to develop mine. He is the only manager I know where the team have continued a positive relationship with him after he left. He is a great mentor.
-Brigid Brammer, Service Manager, Wellington City Libraries
I started working at the Cape May County Library around the same time as Justin Hoenke and everyone immediately knew that something exciting was going on. At the time, Justin was hired as our Teen Librarian and, in the short time we worked together he inspired our library to change. Justin stayed positive and in a constructive way, fought the system that feared change and wanted libraries to remain the same quiet stuffy institutions they were in the 70’s. In the roughly two years he was here, we started on a path of being more inclusive and revolutionary. Game nights, Teen Ambassadors, outside music, and more. Justin knew the value in a library being more than books and data. He saw our library as a community resource and a safe space for all. He inspired our library to evolve into the 21st Century and for me, he continues to inspire. I have followed his career as he travelled across the globe and back again evolving how libraries are managed and making them a bigger part of their local communities.
-Jeff Trout, Supervisor of the Technology Learning Center, Cape May County (NJ) Library
Justin The Librarian 