Profiles in Wine: Megan Jones, Curator, Sonoma County Wine Library

Megan Jones said her passion for history is what inspired her to pursue a career in library science. Given she grew up in one of the world’s premier wine regions (Napa Valley), it’s no wonder she ended up as curator of the Sonoma County Wine Library, where the region’s unique wine history is cataloged and preserved.

“Studying history is an exercise in discovering why things are the way they are,” Jones said. “History can help give context to the world we live in.”

Jones earned her master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University, then worked as a research librarian at the Napa Historical Society. From there, she moved to a marketing position at the St. Helena Public Library, which shares its home with the Napa Valley Wine Library Association.

After Jones did some temporary work for the Napa wine library, the president told her about the curator position at the Sonoma County Wine Library, part of the Sonoma County Library system. Jones “jumped at the chance to apply.”

This year, Jones is celebrating her fifth year as curator of the Sonoma County Wine Library, where she oversees its collection of 5,000 wine books, oral histories, wine-related ephemera, rare artifacts, historic photos, maps and more. She is also responsible for cataloging new historical material and organizing the library’s vast collection of historical wine clippings.

What she loves most about her role is answering wine research queries from the public — whether from a wine student, researcher, author, journalist or just a curious wine drinker.

“I’ve learned so much about Sonoma County wine history by answering these questions,” she said. “For example, did you know winegrowers used to make grape bricks during Prohibition? They would dehydrate grape juice and compress them into blocks, which could be dissolved in water and ‘unofficially’ fermented into wine. That’s how they got around Prohibition.”

Jones also talked about her favorite object in the wine library collection and another of her passions — bookstores.

Question: What is your favorite item in the library’s collection?

Answer: The wine-related newspaper clippings may be my favorite items in the library. We have tens of thousands of them — 50 years’ worth — and they’re all filed by the name of a winery or person. They are a great resource for research.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the library?

A: I wish more people knew about how many free resources we offer to the public! The library’s digital collection is accessible online, and anyone is welcome to come in and access our digital newspaper collection or fire insurance maps. You can also request any book in the state of California or access a wealth of information through the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library (723 Third St., Santa Rosa).

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: I like to go to as many different coffee shops as possible in the Bay Area. I also love to visit bookstores. My favorite is The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles. It’s full of romance novels and just so unique.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com.