Commitment and Sacrifice

Five years ago, I was Director of the public library system for Sitka, Alaska. Nearly a year and a half prior, I took the reins of a a library that knew what it was doing. I just had to empower my amazing coworkers and let them weave their magic. At the same time, I oversaw the construction of a brand new, larger library facility in the center of town. Right after Christmas 2015, during the shortest days of the year, we burnt that 6 hours of daily light for a month. On the evening of February 4, 2016, hundreds of our friends and neighbors celebrated with us, the local government, fellow department, honored officials, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and more, as the biggest pair of scissors I had ever seen cut the ribbon opening the door to history. It was a cold, dark night in the 49th State, but my heart had never been warmer. That event exemplified what a public library can mean for a community. We were it’s beating heart. It also showed what a town’s support could mean to its public library. Those people were our life blood. Nothing has ever inspired me more.