January Newsletter

How to build a library—plus Courageous Conversations and the Six Word Memoir contest!

January 3, 2024

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Library Director’s Message

Hello!

I just recently started David Brooks’s new book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. In it, he shares the concept of illuminators – ones who “shine the brightness of their care on people and make them feel bigger, deeper, respected, and lit up.” In this book, Brooks writes, “the real process of, say, building a friendship or creating a community involves performing a series of small, concrete actions well: being curious about other people; disagreeing without poisoning relationships; revealing vulnerability at an appropriate pace; being a good listener; knowing how to ask for and offer forgiveness; knowing how to host a gathering where everyone feels embraced; knowing how to see things from another’s point of view.” As I read these words, I was overwhelmed with the thought: this is also how you build a library.

Building a library isn’t about the building. It’s about the people, the community, the connections, the partnerships, the conversations, and the opportunities we make space for. We work hard to do many of the things that Brooks suggests though maybe not in those specific terms. We are curious about our community and welcoming to all; we are always looking for ways to inspire, learning to be better listeners, and we know a thing or two about hosting a gathering. We help our patrons and each other see things from another’s point of view as often as we can. One way we incorporate Brooks’s advice is through our Courageous Conversations, which are back on the calendar in February 2024. We will be reading Monica Guzman’s book I Never Thought of it That Way and look forward to an engaging conversation about seeing new perspectives. Another way is through the annual Six Word Memoir contest we hold each January. We love to see all the ways that our community is represented. We all have a story to share. And finally, we will launch our strategic plan this winter, which was created with your feedback and ideas to guide the library’s work over the next three years. We appreciate the opportunity we had to learn more about what you want and to look objectively at our library services. We are excited about the plan we have created!

As you start the new year with resolutions, ideas, and inspirations of your own remember the library is here to be an illuminator in your life. We look forward to seeing you at the library in 2024. May the coming year be full of promise for all.

Warmly,
Kim