Big Talk From Small Libraries 2021
Abby Adams, Librarian, Platt Memorial Library, Library Media Specialist, Shoreham Elementary School, Shoreham, VT (Population served: 1,242)
School Library Lessons for the Public Library World
Abby Adams has been a library director for 9 years and a school librarian for 5 years in small, rural Shoreham, Vermont. She is originally from Virginia and has also worked for the Williamsburg Regional Library (a MUCH larger institution). Her MLIS is from the University of South Carolina, specifically focusing on serving children and young adults through librarianship. When not doing library things, Abby also runs a multi-level Girl Scout troop with a co-leader, provides professional development with a team of teachers for the school district, snowshoes or hikes (depending on the season), and reenacts 18th-century camp life with her husband and almost-8-year-old-daughter.
Beth Anderson, Director, Burnsville Public Library, Burnsville, WV (Population served: 3,700)
We Might Be Small, But We Are Mighty!
Beth is the mother of three sons: Doug is 22, Aaron is 13 and Joshua is 11. They are very athletic and have participated in many sports. Beth enjoys cheering her boys on if they are on the wrestling mat, basketball court, baseball diamond, track or pole vault area, or the football/soccer field. She has served as team parent, coach, board member or concession volunteer, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
She has been with the Burnsville Public Library since April 2015, and has held the position of Director since July 1, 2015. During her time with the library she has served on the WVLA (West Virginia Library Association) Executive Board, and is currently serving as chair of SELA’s (South East Library Association) Public Library Section, co-chair of ARSL’s (Association of Small and Rural Library’s) newly updated Advocacy Committee and other committees and boards.
In her free time, Beth likes to camp, spend time with her boys and husband, read, sing, and cuddle with her family’s 3 cats and 1 dog: Buddy, Marble and Scarlett, and Muttley.
Samantha Bodine, Library Director, Fobes Memorial Library, Oakham, MA (Population served: 1,902)
Rethinking Community Programming
Samantha Bodine has served as the director of the Fobes Memorial Library in Oakham, MA since 2014, previously having worked in urban libraries for several years. She holds an MLIS from Simmons University and is an advocate for the positive impact that small, rural libraries can have on their communities. Her focus is on community building through programming for all ages. She lives with her husband and three children in Oakham.
Dianne Connery, Director, Pottsboro Area Public Library, Pottsboro, TX (Population served: 2,465)
Grant Writing: Templates to Succeed
Dianne Connery is the Project Manager for the innovative Pottsboro (Texas) Area Public Library. She was a corporate trainer and entrepreneur before moving to a rural community ten years ago. On the verge of closing its doors, Dianne led a group of dedicated volunteers who transformed it into the vibrant community-gathering place it is today. She is passionate about the role of rural libraries.
Dulce Dominguez, Reference and Adult Services Librarian, Highwood Public Library, Highwood, IL (Population served: 5,224)
A Small Library with Big Dreams: Approaches to Programming and Fundraising for Renovation and Transformation
Dulce Dominguez is originally from Mexico and immigrated with her family to the United States at the age of 2 years old. Dulce has worked in Lake County as an advocate for immigrant families since 2012. Throughout her community work, Dulce has been a part of efforts that advance protections and create resources for immigrant families through community building, education, and engagement strategies. In 2017, she helped lead efforts to pass the Safe Haven Resolution at Waukegan Public Schools, affirming the district’s commitment to secure the information and safety of students and their families. Dulce is now the Adult Services and Reference Librarian at the Highwood Public Library, focusing on adult Spanish literacy programs and supporting the library’s grant management work. Dulce obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.
Julie Elmore, Library Director, Oakland City Columbia Township Public Library, Oakland City, IN (Population served: 3,830)
Affordable After Hours Pick-up Service
Julie Elmore has been the Director of the Oakland City- Columbia Township Public Library in southwestern Indiana for 11 years. Born and raised in Detroit, she married a sailor and found libraries to be among the first places she visited any time they moved in order to seek out connections to the community. Now living in a small rural community, she enjoys returning the favor and welcoming new people to the community. She still enjoys seeking connections to her community and is an active volunteer in the library community serving as a Board Member and prior conference planner for the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.
Kate Kosior, Former Director, Clifton Community Library, Cranberry Lake, NY (Population served: 650)
I See a Library! Making Libraries More Accessible to the Visually Impaired
Poverty Relief Through Story Time
Kate Kosior is the former library director at Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake, New York, her hometown library, where she returned after 20 years away. She has greatly enjoyed bringing the library to the community in the past several years through partnerships with local organizations and innovative programming initiatives. In addition, Kate spent ten years working in the field of rehabilitation of the blind, working with individuals with a wide range of disabilities, and has worked in the field of foreign exchange with people from cultures worldwide, both of which have given her a passion for inclusiveness in libraries.
Laura Hinman, Head Librarian, Midland University, Luther Library, Fremont, NE (FTE: 1,388)
The Lone Librarian: Programming Creations & Cultivating Connections
Laura Hinman is originally from South Dakota. She graduated from Dakota State University with her B.S. in English for New Media, and a Masters in Library and Information Science with a Graduate Certificate in Archives and Special Collections from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her Library career brought her down to Mississippi for a few years and is now back in the Midwest as the Head Librarian at Midland University. She has a husband, Ricky, an almost 3-year-old, Olivia, a son that is due on her daughter’s birthday (March), and a dog, Luna.
Suzanne Macaulay, Deputy Director, Pioneer Library System, Canandaigua, NY (Populations served: 330-10,000)
Leaders & Burnout: Protecting Your Staff From You
Suzanne Macaulay is the Deputy Director of the Pioneer Library System which supports the 42 small and rural libraries in Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties, New York. Suzanne started as a Children’s Librarian and has held various positions in public libraries in New York and Pennsylvania, most recently serving as the Director of the Clifton Springs Library. She received her BA in English from Molloy College and her MLIS from LIU Post.
Joanne Mancuso, Librarian, Bennington Public Library, Bennington, NE (Population served: 1,931)
Preschool STEAM-Science During COVID
Joanne Mancuso has been with Bennington Public Library since 2014 working mostly in children services. Joanne began her library career at an elementary school in Northern California as a library aide and carried on at another elementary in Texas. She started several new programs at Bennington such as; Reading Buddies, Elementary STEAM, and Preschool STEAM. Joanne also helped expand Storytime and the Summer Reading Program at the library. She also loves connecting young patrons with a new favorite book or series.
Rachel McMullen, Reference and Young Adult Services Librarian, Highwood Public Library, Highwood, IL (Population served: 5,224)
Rachel McMullen is a former teacher turned librarian from Mobile, Alabama. She holds a Master’s in Education from the University of South Alabama and a MLIS from the University of Southern Mississippi. With more than eight years of experience as an educator and almost three years working in libraries, she is passionate about providing high quality library services and programs that promote literacy and community engagement.