Community service/volunteer work
I served on the Town of Bethlehem Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee for six years and volunteered on the Elm Avenue Park Playground Committee. I am a founding member of the Hamagrael PTA’s IDEA Committee. Before moving to Delmar, I was on the board of Sustainable Saratoga and a volunteer with the Advocates for the Schuylerville Public Library.
Other details you would like to share: Since September 2021, I’ve been the proud steward of the Little Free Diverse Library Delmar. It is my hope that the LFDL Delmar is helping everyone in our community to feel welcome and seen, and that it complements the public library’s efforts to provide easy access to books that offer diverse perspectives.
Experience and goals
What do you consider your most meaningful career accomplishment?
What is most meaningful are the stories of how something I had a hand in creating made a difference in someone’s life. Hearing how a program or event inspired someone to try a new outdoor activity for the first time or brought them joy during COVID, for example, is incredibly rewarding.
What skills do you bring to your tenure on the board?
In my current role professionally, I lead efforts to enhance access to public lands with a focus on equity and inclusion. I bring those skills here – viewing library efforts through a lens of equity and how we can remove barriers to accessing library resources. Much of my work over the years has also been in program development, communications, and project management — from large construction projects to statewide public programs and events. These are especially important now as the library continues to determine a path forward for building repairs and improvements.
What are your goals as a library board member?
Some of my goals and priorities moving forward are to ensure that, as the board works to develop a path forward for addressing building maintenance needs and improvements, we are communicating frequently and transparently with the community and developing greater opportunities for the public to engage with the board. I also hope to support the staff in their efforts to carry out the library’s mission and to continue to look for creative ways for the library to serve the community as it evolves.
Views about libraries
How does a public library best serve its community?
Libraries are essential community infrastructure. At their core, libraries serve the community best by inspiring and fostering lifelong learning, and they can do that in a variety of ways. But they are also more and more looking at how they can meet community needs that are not being met in other places.
What are the most important issues facing public libraries today?
Libraries today are facing unprecedented challenges to books and other offerings and must remain unwavering in their commitment to defending against censorship. Libraries also need to be nimble and evolve in order to stay relevant.
How are libraries changing? How can a library board expedite these changes?
Libraries are expanding the traditional view of what they offer and serving as much more of a community resource center. The board can help by taking a holistic approach to advancing the mission of the library and supporting the staff in their efforts to be innovative and forward-thinking.
How have libraries influenced your life?
Growing up, the public library was right next to my elementary school. I remember it as a place of refuge, a quiet and safe space, but also a place for discovery. As an adult, it has been a place of community.
Views about this library
What do you like best about Bethlehem Public Library?
The adaptability of the library and staff, especially during COVID, has been outstanding. That kind of creativity and nimbleness, whether it be in services or programming, is one of the things that makes the Bethlehem Public Library stand out in the region.
What is your vision for the future of this library?
My vision for the library is that it is a welcoming and supportive place for all members of the community, that it is a place where critical conversations can take place, and that it continues to grow and adapt to meet the changing needs of the community. Children and young people now have much greater access to information digitally and at home, but I hope that the library can always be a place for discovery and connection. I also hope that we can learn from the lessons of the bond project and work together with the community on improvements to the physical space that will meet the needs of both staff and the public.