Feeling Grateful at the Camas Public Library

A message from our Library Director

This week I attended the Library Design Institute virtual conference, where the theme was libraries in a post-pandemic world. Peter Bolek, the President and Director of Design at HBM Architects said, "Libraries are nothing like they used to be, and they are everything they always were."

It’s certainly true at the Camas Library, where every day we create new services or procedures to meet the needs of our community living through a pandemic, or unprecedented wildfire smoke, or a flooded basement requiring extensive restoration work. Yes, this has been a year like no other.

Yet despite the different ways we find ourselves delivering service this year, at the core we’re doing what we’ve always done: creating connections. Connecting you to books, information, resources...and to each other.

And we are grateful. We are grateful for you, our community of readers, who:

• Checked out ebooks and audiobooks from our digital library while we worked remotely from the safety of our homes.
• Gave virtual summer reading a try despite years of attending in-person juggling acts and storytimes.
• Participated in our first-ever Read for Change, and met online to discuss the important topic of racial equity.
• Trusted us to do your personal shopping with Book Bundles, to connect you with WiFi hotspots, and to provide you with free printing, events, and crafts for the whole family.

Finally, we are grateful for our support organizations.

• The Library Board of Trustees continues to represent the citizens of Camas with sage wisdom and guidance.
• While the Library's art gallery may be closed, the Second Story Gallery Society continues to check-in, support, and plan for better days.
• The Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library (FFCL) have been hard at work, searching for ways to fundraise without hosting in-person book sales (their biggest source of revenue). Still, the FFCL hasn’t let their dedication to the Library waver, and for this, we are extremely grateful. If you’d like to help support the Library via the FFCL this year, click the button at the bottom of this letter.

On a personal note, as director, I often get credit for the Library’s service to our community. I want to turn the spotlight entirely on our staff, whose creativity and commitment to these connections are what got us through 2020. My immense gratitude goes to Danielle, Christopher, John, Ellen, Rebel, Leah, Vanessa, Elliot, Nancy, Haley, Lindsey, and Colleen. You did it!

In gratitude,
Connie Urquhart