As of May 2, 2022, I have the distinct privilege of being the Executive Director of the Garfield County (Colorado) Public Library District. This post is a kind of summary of my feelings about that.
This marks a new chapter in my life, stepping back into public library administration under very different circumstances than before. I feel called to it.
The Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys are extraordinarily beautiful. I have barely begun to explore the thousands of miles of trails in the area. I love it. The views. The air. And a more subtle life of sound and smell. Of water and wildlife. Natural beauty brings and keeps a lot of folks here.
In my first three weeks on the job, I interviewed 51 of our 68 staff. Leadership begins with listening. They had a lot to say. They were thoughtful, insightful, and resilient. It's been a tough couple of years. Here's my takeaway: we're poised on the edge of greatness. The service ethic, the passion, the connection to community, it's all there. I have more to learn about other stuff, but this is a solid base.
I'm still interviewing and pondering ongoing conversations with Garfield County residents. I like them. Some issues come up a lot.
I'm still learning the interests and concerns of my colleagues on the Western Slope (the west side of the Rockies). I deeply admire them. I sense a convergence of thinking among us, too.
I'm still keeping an eye on national and global trends and find many resonances to another time in world history: 1939. Authoritarianism is on the rise, fueled by cynical appeals to our darkest natures. At this tipping point in world climate and social change, will our nation be a force for good or for evil?
To return to the personal, I fervently believe in the necessity of public institutions that bind us together, strike a positive tone, and invest in the future.
At the beginning of my career, I was concerned not only with doing a good job, but moving up the professional ladder. At this side of my professional life I find myself more concerned with spotting, developing, and deploying the talents of others. I'm also eager to demonstrate to my new communities the incomparable value of a public institution dedicated to curiosity, to knowledge built on verifiable facts, to courage, and to courtesy.
Librarianship, for me, has always been more than a job. It's a calling. My challenge: how do I recast libraries that are often but almost accidentally transformative to institutions that consciously and systematically make life better not only for individuals but for their communities?
I remain dedicated to the principle of "reclaiming a moral sanction for the public sector." When public institutions fail our shared world is diminished. But just sitting on the sidelines and taking potshots at other people's failures builds nothing. It destroys.
I look forward to building, starting with the work of others. I rely on the always surprising, often illuminating, participation of the other dreamers in the world.
Oh, and I guess this means that I'll step back from my consulting career in terms of accepting any new clients. I'm still available for occasional speaking gigs, and I'm working on a long form piece on censorship for a good publisher. Mostly, though, it's time to turn the page, and take a deeper look at my own new neighborhood.
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