These are the scariest words on any job description, aren’t they? Over the past several months, Greenwood Library has suffered several weather related water problems throughout the building. We had a minor roof leak, a burst pipe, and flooding from heavy rains in December. The repair of all those areas is in process or scheduled and we can’t wait to have our building 100% back to normal. We are grateful for good insurance but also for a team that rolls with the punches and steps up to give extra when it is needed.
Our Children’s Department has been nearly homeless for these months as their offices and programming rooms have been floored, flooded, and re-floored. Desks and cabinets have been moved multiple times and programs held in alternate locations, often surrounded by relocated filing cabinets and storage bins. Our staff never lost their smiles and worked hard to keep things moving forward.
Did our librarians ever think, while attaining their master’s degrees, that they were going to go out and change the world by moving library furniture? That late night emergencies with wet/dry vacuums would be involved? No, they did not. These are the details of any career that you don’t tend to hear about ahead of time. To the credit of our staff, I’ve never once heard the phrase, “that’s not my job.”
Our staff keeps their eyes on the goal of serving our community, and chomp at the bit to get past these annoyances and back to our regular work. One quote pinned to my bulletin board says “Plans change, vision does not.” It has been a guiding principal for the last two years. Whether the challenge is physical or financial, we keep our eyes on the goal and continue moving forward. And our goal not a perfect library or a perfect building – it is rather a vision of what Greenwood can be:
We see a community unified in its commitment to the success of every citizen. Children are ready to read and succeed in school; teens are mentored for leadership; adults are skilled and ready to be competitive in the workforce. Information and technology are accessible to everyone, and creativity and innovation are valued. It is a community poised to compete in the global marketplace and enthusiastic about the future.
So thank you for your patience in our winter mess and repairs – and a special thank you to employees who have been so helpful in recent days:
- Linda Messick, Head of Children’s Services and her entire staff.
- Janet Buckley, Head of Technical Services and her staff.
- Children’s department pages Tommy Mangan and Ashish Cherian for their strong backs, willing spirits and quick smiles.