There's a new Branch Manager at the Weyburn Public Library, Dawn Silver.

Having spent most of her career in library services, Silver said she has been impressed by our facility and its programmers.

"I've had fantastic training. Everyone has been so welcoming here. It has just been an absolute treat," she shared.

Having received job offers from the west coast to the east coast, and not wanting to make a big move, Silver said she wanted to stay in the province because she is a big fan of our Inter-Library Loan system. 

"I truly believe in the one-card system that this province has taken on wholeheartedly. It's really leveled the playing field. It doesn't matter where you are, you can get access to what you need," she noted.

Silver said she has also worked in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, which is how she knows our library is special.

"The programming levels are extraordinary. I've never seen a library this committed to doing so many programs," she commented. "The physical building itself is really interesting and lovely, and big enough. And you have to realize that that's a really fabulous situation. There's enough staff. There's not too much staff, but there's enough staff that the commitment to public library service here is very high."

"It's always interesting to see programming in action. Sometimes you don't get it quite right, but if you work from a community-led library model, we can't go wrong. We do what people want."

Silver said it's been impressive to see the large group of teens involved in programming, and that, "We have a phenomenal attendance at our children's crafts and programs in early literacy, and our adult programs are transitioning into different, wild, wonderful things."

She pointed out this library's resources go beyond books, to the 3D printer, the Cricut machine, and even sewing machines. 

"Social media posts have increased and we've been hitting the highlights about what we do have," she noted. "Still we're providing computer access, help with the simplest things like photocopying, scanning, faxing."

While DVDs, video games, talking books, and more are readily available, books themselves, according to Silver, are also not going anywhere anytime soon.

The book counts that go in and out now, it's quite an amazing thing to see how much stuff is requested in and how much stuff goes out with our van delivery system, and that's province-wide. It goes everywhere," she shared. 

"Libraries in North America are the best-resourced community facility that doesn't get used as much as it could," she stated. "Everybody keeps saying that sooner or later the books are going to die. No, honestly. They won't."

"It doesn't take any power. You don't have to add batteries. You don't need any special software to run it. It's a book. It just is. It's a technology that's been around for a very, very long time and I really don't think it's going to go anywhere. There's enough of us that are 'bibliomaniacs', as I say. We love books to the point, we're just a little crazy."

Silver's love of books began, as it does for many, when she was a child. In fact, her first job was when she was eight years old.

"I actually had to get special permission because I was so young, but we were going to lose our little library in our village, and I said, 'Can I please do it?' And Mom wrote a letter, I wrote a letter. The Ministry of Labour said okay, and it was for four hours every Wednesday night. We didn't have any physical books there. It was down in the school library and we had a catalog, a big old binder, and we got new cards every three months, and people selected from those. Then I sent off the request on the ferry and a week later, I picked them up from the post office."

"It was awesome. I think I read everything in town as a kid. I took to reading like nobody's business. It was just wonderful."

Coming from that love of books, after she earned her undergraduate degree, Silver was working as an academic library tech when she was encouraged by her boss to, 'go to library school'. So, she attended the University of British Columbia, and technology at the time was going from print, to digital, to online, and has continued to progress in that way ever since. 

Silver said Weyburn is a good fit, as, "I can't see me leaving anytime soon. I'm not the retiring kind. It doesn't interest me at all. I think I would just go a bit odd. I need to keep focused and I love the work I do."

"You know, when they say, 'when you find what you love to do, it's not work anymore'. That's right. I feel very strongly about Public Library services."

"It's great to work with a hugely creative group of people. That's what the staff are here. They're really innovative, they're willing to try just about anything, and I'm willing to help them try it," she added. "It's very important that we fulfill the needs that the community has, and that we listen, and that we're part of the community. It's important that we are a community hub, in fact, and I think Weyburn Public Library is fulfilling that role. There's always room for improvement. But we're willing to try." 

"The only thing I can say about the future of public libraries is that we are positioned well to continue to adopt and grow, and we're just waiting to see what happens in the New Year."

Listen below to the full audio interview:

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