Library Director Cover Letter

It is with the utmost enthusiasm that I submit my application for the position of Leslie J. Savage Library director. As a library professional with nearly nine years’ experience in academic libraries, I am confident my diverse skills, institutional knowledge, and unique perspective will make me a strong library leader, and a continued asset to the Western State Colorado University team.

I’ve built my Western career from the ground up in a variety of roles, always with an eye toward supporting University and library missions and giving back to my alma mater. As a librarian, I teach library users where to find answers and how to find them. I like to think of librarians as educators who teach their users how to fish, rather than simply providing the meal. A liberal arts education also prepares students to fish, to think critically. I place great value on a liberal arts education. Moreover, I actively support it by maintaining print and digital collections to serve the University community. Not only do these collections accommodate campus research needs, but they nurture the desire for knowledge, inspiration, and enlightenment - hopefully creating life-long learners in the process. It would be an honor to continue supporting Western’s liberal arts educational values on a larger scale.

The surprise element was an enthusiasm and aptitude for mentoring, supervising, and leading. That journey has taken me from managing undergraduate student employees in a variety of departments and duties to acting library director on an as-needed basis. I recently added supervising a professional staff member to the mix – apparently a first in Savage Library history. Rachael Parlier, an extraordinary student assistant and a recipient of the 2014 Alumni Award for Excellence offered her thoughts on my supervisory and leadership capabilities at the awards