Q & A with Jennifer Phares, Deputy Library Director

Monnie Nilsson

How did you wind up in LibraryLand?

Library Page for Willard Public Library in Battle Creek, MI was my first job as a teen. I loved library work but felt I needed to stretch my wings and explore some other interests instead of going to library school. The summer of 1998, I landed in Boulder after completing a Master’s degree in chemistry/horticulture from Michigan State University. As there were no jobs in my field, I worked retail in the Table Mesa Shopping Center for 4 long years Finding that work very unfulfilling, I began applying for jobs to practice my interview skills The Shelving Supervisor job, which I never dreamed I would land, was open It was the first job I applied for and much to my surprise, I was hired That’s how I came to have a career in LibraryLand I feel like it was meant to be

What does a Deputy Library Director do?

Pretty much anything that needs doing While three divisions report to me, Administration, Programs & Events, and Community Literacy & Outreach, my job is to serve the whole organization to make sure every library staff person has the support and resources to serve the community. On occasion, I cover vacant supervisor positions in the divisions that report to me. Currently, I have the privilege of working with the Carnegie Team until we receive funding to hire a supervisor and staff for the archive For the past few years, my daily work has focused on budget planning and management, policy development and maintenance, supporting the library commission, managing initiatives like the library district planning, preparing information for City Council on library matters, overseeing some bid processes and contracts, and working with HR on the organizations employee issues around pay, leave, etc In the past, I was project manager for capital projects like the Main Library renovation and the 2018 Library Master Plan.

What’s the average day of a Deputy Library Director look like? How has this changed since you started in this role?

An average day begins with checking email and reviewing the meeting schedule Typically, I have 3 to 5 meetings per day Much of my work lately has been focused on budget management and coordinating with HR on the lingering classification and compensation issues. My average day has changed a great deal since I began in this role. I used to spend much more time on supporting the Library Commission and project management than I did on the budget and HR matters Staff turnover and reorganization in HR and Finance have resulted in the need for many city departments to provide support for these functions from within departments.

What is the hardest part of your job right now? Has that always been the case?

While I enjoy change and learning new things, the timing of switching to two new critical business systems like OpenGov (budget planning) and WorkDay while other major projects like the classification and compensation and planning for a library district were also underway was very challenging. Staffing in HR and Finance was also in flux during the height of these projects making it difficult to get the support needed to navigate the critical business process changes. Luckily, staffing is beginning to stabilize in those departments and our new colleagues are working as hard as they can to support the organization to learn these new systems. These challenges have not always been present. During my time working for the library, the politicization of the library, I find extremely distasteful, distracting, and hard. It is mentally exhausting to hear out the opinionated “squeaky wheels.” When the politics gets intense, I try to keep the library mission as the touchstone and remember the real why we all do this work.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is working in collaboration with the leadership team members, supervisors, and many others to solve issues, find and manage resources so that every library staffer can fulfill their role in providing library programs and services to the community. Knowing that my work and contribution supports the end result of bettering the lives of Boulder community members is what brings meaning and sustains my efforts during the challenging times.

What is something staff might find surprising about your role at BPL?

My 21-year career in several roles at BPL has afforded me opportunities to work directly with every program and service offered in the library While I don’t often get the opportunity to see or work with many of you day to day, I have an awareness of how each person and their role contributes to the library mission I try to make decisions and recommendations in my own work that consider the whole organization, that will make the biggest or most meaningful positive impact for the community, and that support making your work easier whenever possible

What do you see as the biggest challenge for the library as we move toward becoming a district?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge is the uncertainty of this waiting game we are all part of right now. I have a great deal of hope that we will get a supportive board of trustees and have confidence in our own ability to put in the work to make a smooth transition to a library district It’s going to take trust, patience, and grit We are smart, committed, passionate about our work, and resourceful – with grace and good humor –we will get through this transition.

If you could swap roles with anyone at BPL for a week, which role would you want to take on and why?

Any role that works with collection would be an attractive swap for me – Materials Handler, Collection Development, Archivist.

Favorite book?

I’m reading Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese right now It will surely be counted among my favorites as long as the author gives the story a wellexecuted ending.

New Faces

Cassie Loosbrock

We are very happy to have our new staff in the library. What would we do without them? We thought it would be a helpful to put names with faces Below please find introductions to several of our new colleagues along with photos and brief bios. Welcome aboard, newbies!

Photos courtesy of staff

Holly Mandziak, Materials Handler- Meadows

Hi BPL! I am Holly, a Materials Handler at Meadows! I am a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating back during the height of the pandemic in 2020. I am hoping to go back to school for my Masters of Library Information Science Prior to this job I worked at Starbucks for years and am still serving up coffee a few times a week I am so excited to get more into library services and pursue my passion of serving the community. Outside of work I am an avid reader and spend nearly all my free time reading.

Sammie Crowder, Creative Technologist - Main

In the past I’ve worked in libraries as a video creation and distance learning specialist, at universities creating educational media for K-12 students and at Makerspaces, and at start-ups creating machine learning data models in 3D I have a Master’s degree in Creative Technology and Design from CU Boulder and an undergrad from Florida State University in Digital Media Production. I am now part of the Creative Technologist team at BLDG 61 I live in the Boulder area with a dog, cat, lizard, chickens and my awesome wife

Sophia Surage (she/her), Volunteer Services Manager - Main

My name is Sophia and I am excited to be a part of Boulder Public Library's Mission as the Volunteer Services Manager I am a CU Boulder alumni and my educational background is in Ethnic Studies and Gender studies. I have worked in customer service since I was 16 years old, and I volunteered at Blair Caldwell African American Research Branch of Denver Public Library for several years after graduating college. Before joining the Boulder Public Library team, I worked in Higher Education managing volunteer programs and creating a culture of service Libraries have always been an important part of my life and I love being a resource for others seeking opportunities to positively impact their communities.

Kelly Detzel Hess, Youth Services Coordinator – Main

Hello! I am so excited to join the Youth Service Team at Main My husband and I moved to Colorado in 2006 from Michigan and now have two daughters. While I miss all of the lakes, I love the sunshine and warm weather here! I began working in library services at the Nederland Community and Nederland Elementary School libraries and absolutely love it In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family outside trail running, paddleboarding, backpacking, nordic skiing and of course . . . reading books!

Patrick DesRocher, Materials Handler – Meadows

I'm originally from Connecticut and moved to Colorado in 2016. I'm currently taking online classes at Purdue Global to attain my Bachelor's Degree in accounting. In my free time, I love spend time with my girlfriend, Alex, and our dog Rocket. I also love to play or watch sports (especially the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins), or play video games with friends from back home. I was a security guard at the Main Branch for over a year and a half and am very excited to be back with BPL and continue to work with people I loved working with.