New director takes up position at local library

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

The Strathmore Municipal library welcomed a new director of library services recently with the temporary leave of absence of Rachel Dick Hughes, who will be on maternity leave until next June.
Betty Whalen’s retirement plan always included moving back to Alberta to be closer to her two sons and grandchildren, so when the position of a director became available in Strathmore, the accomplished librarian yearned for the job.
“This is my dream job, I’ve always wanted to work in rural Alberta,” said Whalen.
“In a smaller community it’s kind of neat because you get to know the place better and I’m finding that already here. This is a really vibrant community with lots of stuff happening and the library is a part of it and that’s a really nice thing.”
Whalen was born and raised in Newfoundland, where she received her bachelor degree in English and Folklore at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She went on to graduate with a library science degree from Dalhousie. After meeting her husband, who also pursued a career as a librarian at university facilities, in Nova Scotia, Whalen’s career has moved her around the country from regional libraries to public libraries to rural libraries, from Nova Scotia to Moosejaw to Calgary. With much knowledge and experience, Whalen has already proposed many ideas and a few changes to the local library.
“She brings a vast amount of experience to the library and so we’re really looking forward to picking her brain and taking her experience and knowledge and running with it,” said Carmen Erison, assistant director of library services in Strathmore.
“What’s great about bringing in any new blood is that it’s a different eye. It’s a different view of the way we are doing things. Naturally we’re going to miss Rachel this year, but we’re looking forward to another exciting year of new programs and new experiences.”
Although Whalen said working in a big library system is a good training ground, working in a rural environment offers her more interaction with the community and provides a more broadly scaled job with greater responsibilities.
Whalen is looking forward to working closely with local groups the library is currently involved with, including Five for Life, Parent Link, and Wheatland Further Education. Over the years the library has experienced a tremendous growth in patronage, added numerous programs – mostly free to the public – and established itself as a social hub for the community.
“They’ve done really good work here,” Whalen added. “They’ve established quite a lot in a short time and I want to take it a couple of steps further, so they can take it a couple of steps further as well. I’ll enjoy this year, it’s going to be fun.”