At the recent annual gathering of the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) in Breckenridge two of our people won awards. The Distinction in Library Services award went to Nancy Barnes, our Director of Branches. Nancy helped build the powerful and accomplished team that operates our six libraries. The Unsung Hero Award went to Jon Medrano, our Facilities Manager. Both of them are extraordinary people, the kind who just step in to help and are fun to hang out with (Jon, despite being Unsung, just released an original song I found on Spotify: “On A Wednesday.”).

Branch Managers Amaranda Fregoso and Ana Gaytan teamed up with Kim Owens, our HR Director, to present on the creation of a stipend for Spanish-speaking skills. A lot of other Colorado libraries are trying to crack the code: an intersection of community need and recruitment strategies. Our folks are ahead of the pack. Alex Garcia-Bernal spoke about our Danish-borne but hyper local program the Human Library. We’ve hosted it 3 times now and it is transformative.

The President of CAL this year is another GCPLD person, Jenn Cook, Director of Technical Services. Under her watch, CALCON 25 was one of the richest in content and best attended CAL conferences in years. Jenn also handed out a couple of her own awards to inspiring library heroes from elsewhere in Colorado.

Four of our board of trustees showed up and engaged with their peers. That’s a strong showing for a governing body, and a great opportunity to compare notes.

I moderated a panel about the mentor/mentee relationship. We had four pairs from across the state, spanning school, public, and academic libraries. We talked about what worked, what was a challenge, and what we thought it all meant.

My mentee, incidentally, was Enas Selah, a librarian for Denver Public. In the 9 months Enas and I teamed up, she published three articles in a national professional journal, presented via Zoom to a statewide professional platform, created, submitted, organized and delivered this panel. My finding: it’s easy –and fun! — to mentor people who are that motivated.

What does any of that mean for people who don’t happen to work for the library? For some, probably not much. I share it to make a couple of points.

First, I think it’s important as a public sector leader to ensure that my staff are engaged with our profession’s issues. These annual gatherings, where our staff both attend and present, reinforce the values and best practices of great service. We talk about the stuff that matters in our jobs. We make sure we keep a weather eye on the horizon. We recognize the truth that good things are done by good people.
Second, I know that some public boards look askance at the cost of sending people to conferences. But once they get there themselves, I think they see the value. We’re not just learning, we’re also recruiting. The core of the public library, its most valuable asset, is its people. Conferences help us scout and attract the talent.

The public library, like public schools, like universities, have long been under attack for a host of made up reasons. Here’s my best reply: let’s demonstrate institutional competence. Let’s show that we know what we’re doing.

We do.

Thank you, staff and board of the Garfield County Public Library District.

Jamie LaRue is Executive Director of the Garfield County Public Library District. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Library Board of Trustees. Please email comments to jlarue@gcpld.org.