WiLS August 2016 Member Interview: Wendy Rawson, Fitchburg Public Library

One of our greatest joys at WiLS is hearing our members tell the stories of the big and important work they are doing – interesting new projects or initiatives, or even interesting and new approaches to old projects.  And, in addition to hearing about it, it makes us even happier when we can share those stories with other members.   Each month, WiLS is proud to feature an interview with one of our library members. This month, we interview Wendy Rawson, Library Director of the Fitchburg Public Library.

Why did you, personally, choose to work in libraries?

Believe it or not, because of a book! My first career was in social work; I worked at a residential facility for delinquent teens. I had been considering graduate school in social work, but after a particularly bad evening shift that involved a teen, the sheriff, and a set of shackles, I thought *maybe* it wasn’t the direction I wanted to stay in. I was literally flipping through Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Programs when I landed on a page about library school. I was immediately interested, and chagrined that I had never even known library school existed. I was always such a bookworm and was into organizing everything. It was clearly the perfect fit!

What is unique about the culture of your library? How do you influence it?

When I read the job posting for the Fitchburg Public Library Director and realized that the library didn’t actually exist yet, I was hooked! The opportunity to start a library from scratch was irresistible to me. Even better than a construction project, which I love, was the chance to hand pick an entire staff. I’ve worked hard to form a high functioning team that is focused on customer service, has a positive attitude, and isn’t afraid of hard work. I’m proud to say that I think all of our staff fit that description, and as a result they work very well together and enjoy what they are doing. That comes across to our patrons every time they interact with staff at the library.

What do you think is important to know about the patrons or community you work with? What helps you understand those needs?

I am a big proponent of strategic planning as a way of both listening to your community and responding to their input. We started our first strategic plan in 2012, when we had barely figured out how to function as a library, and we are just now in the final stages of evaluation. We began with a community survey, and from that came five critical issues. Five action teams then crafted ambitious action plans, which resulted in a lot of work and a lot of great results. Some of the projects that came out of the plan include: an iPad station in the children’s library, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, an extremely successful Friends fundraiser called Books & Brews, a new Outreach Librarian position, as well as a lot of infrastructure pieces that help us run the library in a deliberate and efficient manner.

What big ideas are being worked on at your library? What problems are being solved?

I’m very excited that we’ve recently added a full time Outreach Librarian/Volunteer Coordinator to our staff. We’ve known since opening the library that there are areas of Fitchburg where residents simply can’t get to the library. Bus service is infrequent, so if you don’t have a vehicle, you likely can’t get to our location. We are hoping that our new staff member, along with volunteers, can extend our reach into those areas to provide necessary services. Right now, we are still exploring what the needs are. Material checkout? Computer classes? Early literacy activities? We’re excited to find out and to become an integral part of the entire community.

These interviews are part of a series of interviews with both WiLS library and vendor partners.  Your feedback is appreciated.  If you have any to offer on this article, or suggestions for upcoming interviews, contact Andrea Coffin at .