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 —…