Wow! Did twelve years really just pass? Is it really time for me to bring this amazing adventure to a close and move on to my next? Yes, it is.
I came to Sacramento Public Library in 2009 filled with optimism, hope and a strong desire to address the challenges I thought the system faced. Along the way I discovered new ones, and working with some truly wonderful people, addressed what I could. I leave the rest for our new Library Director & CEO, Peter Coyl. You know that our Library Authority Board made the right decision when someone still has their first ever library card and it is from the Sacramento Public Library! Peter is going to be a wonderful asset to SPL and I know he will love our library and our community as much as I do.
We are living in very fragile times right now and I am more firmly convinced than ever that public libraries are a beacon of light, hope and opportunity for everyone. We are that government service people use because they want to, not because they have to, and I believe with all my heart in the note that a community member scrawled at one of our strategic planning sessions: “Still one of the best benefits our government provides to the public.”
Thank you for the opportunity to be your library director for the past twelve years. We’ve been through a lot together and I hope you are as filled with optimism about the future of Sacramento Public Library as I am.