NORTHAMPTON — Forbes Library trustees voted unanimously Thursday to select internal candidate Lisa Downing as the library’s new director.
Downing will start Jan. 1 of next year, at which point current Director Janet Moulding will retire after about 12 years in the role.
Trustees said Downing’s “unwavering commitment” and “creative” approach during her 12-year tenure as assistant director are what landed her the job. About a half-dozen members of the public spoke to Downing’s qualifications.
As a former social worker, Downing is responsive and always kind to the homeless people who frequent the establishment during the winter, said Susan Enz, 60, of Northampton.
“This is a place for people who have nobody,” Enz said. “She’s been extremely patient.”
Trustees selected Downing from a pool of 28 candidates. Input from the public during the weekslong process, trustee Elaine Reall said, came in no short supply.
“We did get tons of community feedback,” Reall said. “We feel good to know there are so many people who care about how this organization operates.”
Downing was working while trustees voted to approve her new role, though she was called into the room immediately afterward.
“We would like to you offer you the job,” board president Russ Carrier told Downing.
“This is an absolutely amazing honor,” Downing began.
“So you’re accepting?” Carrier interjected.
“Yes, I’m accepting,” Downing said, giggling, as everyone in the room laughed.
Downing called the role her “dream job,” saying library work “suits me to the core.” She said she has known this would be her profession since she worked as a page in high school.
Libraries are evolving evermore into community centers, she said, and she’s excited to bring Forbes into its next chapter.
“Libraries are no longer quiet places,” she said. “They’re vibrant places where people are learning.”
Her most immediate goals, she said, are to do more marketing and to host community conversations around what people see as priorities for the institution.
She said technology has been the primary driver in that evolution, prompting some to say libraries are not needed in modern society. But that’s not true, she said. People without access to internet or technology still turn to libraries, as well as people who require assistance using technology and in tracking down the right type of information online.
“It’s really important to me that the library is a safety net for the most vulnerable in our community,” she said. “I believe that libraries will always serve that role, as a place where people can access information — whatever format it comes in.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.