Sedona Public Library seeks board members

As published in the Red Rock News

​Sedona Public Library is once again seeking new members for our Board of Trustees. As we look to an exciting and promising future, the Board of Trustees seeks to bring new energy, voices, and experience to the table. Do you have what it takes to join a board that has big plans to propel our 64-year-old library into the future?
 
Libraries across the country are being revitalized and making themselves new again—they are becoming vibrant community spaces for learning, engagement, entertainment, and connection. Our Board of Trustees is committed to doing just that, and they’re looking for forward thinkers with fresh perspectives and experienced fundraisers who know that progress comes with a price tag.
 
The Library Board is looking for new leaders who are assertive and available community members. We need people who are unafraid of suggesting and implementing change, perceptive enough to determine when it might be time to let go of some time-honored traditions, and full of passion and awareness for all things community. We’re ready to guide this institution toward becoming a modern community library—would you like to join us?
 
Dedication to the larger Sedona community, an understanding of the challenges and benefits of advocating and fundraising for a vital nonprofit organization, and possibility thinking all make for a tremendous candidate. Sedona Public Library is not just any nonprofit 501(c)(3)—we are easily the most impactful nonprofit organization to residents of Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek because we reach so broadly across the community to all ages, lifestyles, education levels, and interests.
 
Just a few months ago we released Check It Out Fall 2021: The Next Chapter, to showcase the results of our Community Needs Assessment. (You can find it on our website!) Our findings showed us that our community is ready for Sedona Public Library to be the community connector—connecting people, neighborhoods, organizations, information, and technology.
 
To that end, we are about to break ground on our new multi-use courtyard that will join our main library with the Friends of the Sedona Library Book Store. This space will give locals a beautiful and relaxing space to meet for coffee, attend a program, read a book, or use our Wi-Fi and work outdoors.
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In November, we opened Sedona Public Library in the Village, a full-service library at the Big Park Community School campus. And we are in the design phase of a long-awaited renovation of the Library’s internal space to provide more private meeting spaces, better lighting, and an overall more welcoming and exciting community-centric atmosphere.
 
With all of this to look forward to, we need a diverse board--a team that represents all the different walks of life in our community, and one that is committed to raising the support necessary to make our plans a reality. If you are someone who knows and loves a library, we invite you to consider this opportunity.
 
We’d like to see candidates with experience implementing big plans and projects, who are familiar with fundraising, financials, and policy. Some of a trustee’s most important jobs include sharing their organization’s goals and plans with their friends, connections, and the greater community, while serving as a steward of their institution’s assets, reputation, and mission. For SPL, it is essential to be a leader and an advocate for the Library’s role in building community.

Finally, a candidate must be willing to work hard, listen carefully, and share honestly. Regular attendance at monthly and committee meetings is expected, and with the right team, the work can be a whole lot of fun. We put our heart and soul into our work, and we’re looking for others with a passion for this community to do the same.

If you’d like to apply, please read our Community Needs Assessment, and if you’re as excited about our future as we are, please visit sedonalibrary.org, scroll down to the bottom of our home page, and click on “Board Application,” and you’ll find everything you need. We can’t wait to hear from you!
 
Sedona Public Library 
Column for March 4, 2022
Written by Judy Poe, Library Director, Sedona Public Library 
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