Aaron Francis, new chief librarian at Creston & District Public Library, compares his new profession to his former work as a school teacher.
“You can never really stop preparing and planning,” he said last week.
After teaching at a private post-secondary institution, Francis considered going into public school teaching, then opted to return to university to pursue a master’s degree in library science.
“Libraries are something I really believe in,” he said. “Libraries are among the few places in Canada where it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. Everyone gets the same level of service.”
Francis worked at the Vancouver Public Library before coming to Creston. There, he ran community library services, connecting with homeless shelters and social service agencies to establish partnerships.
He admits libraries are being forced to change with the times.
“The traditional library was a storehouse of books,” he said. “Now they are facilitators of knowledge. They provide access to ebooks and audio books and have become community spaces that invite groups and organizations to share their buildings.”
He sees libraries as places that help facilitate access to knowledge, becoming less about book collections and more about helping people find the information they are looking for.
Francis grew up in the BC Interior and is excited to return to a small community with his wife and child. With an interest in ethnic music—he spent a couple of years teaching in Korea and learning traditional musical forms there—he is sure to find opportunities to reinvigorate his fascination locally.
Among his early focuses at the library, Francis said he has been going through the book collection, pulling out books that haven’t been loaned in more than a year, preparing space to add new volumes to the shelves. And he’s committed to building on the computer technology side of patron services.
“We don’t just provide people with computer access,” he said. “We have programs to help people learn to use them more effectively.”
Seniors and parents of young children are among his particular interests, he said.
To learn more about Creston and District Public Library services, go to crestonlibrary.com or follow it on Facebook. Or, you can continue with the traditional practice of visiting the library on 16th Avenue South.