About 11 years ago, I received a call asking me to
consider joining the Bethel Library Board of
Trustees. At the time it seemed like a weighty
consideration, mostly because I wondered what I
would have to offer this venerable mainstay of the
village. Eventually, I took the plunge.
All these years (and meetings) later, I’m still
learning about how to keep this library healthy and
relevant to our lives. Although my roles have varied,
I’ve grown fond of my library community, and I
appreciate how it has helped me grow in ways large
and small. The renewed sense of welcoming activity
emanating from this small but mighty building puts
a smile on my face. With so much going on,
sometimes I feel like taking off my trustee hat so I
can simply be a patron.
Recently, my attention was grabbed by a community
quilting session that did not require sewing skills!
How inclusive is that? So off I went and experienced
a calming couple of hours cutting, gluing, and
visiting with folks I might not have seen otherwise.
(The finished product is in the stairway to the
second floor of the library-check it out!) This low
key, relaxing respite was exactly what I needed.
It got me thinking about a new way to see my
library. I’ll always love picking out books to read,
but now I know to keep an eye out for other kinds of
offerings. The kind that might make me feel like I
belong, or that might make my day just a little
warmer or more interesting than it would have been.
By Martha Siegel, Bethel Library Trustee
