Recently, Girdwood’s librarian left for a professional opportunity in Washington.
We hope our next librarian will be just as passionate and professional.
Unfortunately, the Municipality of Anchorage plans to downgrade the permanent librarian position in Girdwood from one requiring a degree in library science to a newly created entry-level position. We object to lowering minimum qualifications.
Girdwood needs a librarian who can manage and enhance a community library. We require a librarian who can enthrall kids during story hours, build the collection, speak well when representing the library at community meetings, create programs to engage readers and reach out to the public. In short, the manager of the Girdwood library needs to meet existing minimum qualifications.
The taxpayers of Girdwood assessed themselves $1 million over five years to build our current library. The boosters have supported the Girdwood library since its opening in 2008. When the library was threatened with closure a few years ago, concerned citizens packed a meeting with the mayor.
We ask that the process for filling Girdwood’s librarian vacancy focus on the candidates’ meeting established professional qualifications for an AML branch librarian and follow a path that yields another well qualified librarian to serve Girdwood.
— Girdwood’s Gerrish Library and Meeting Room Boosters: Lynn McNamara, Terry Mercurior, Kate Sandberg, Sherry Dugan, Kathy Peters, Brooks Chandler, Betty Charnon, Meghan Nedwick and Susan Opalka
Girdwood
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