As of Wednesday, July 2, a new director has taken the reins at Westlock Libraries.
A recent graduate from the Library and Information Studies master's program at the University of Alberta, Brett Sheehan is getting settled into the director role. Part of this is getting to know the people of Westlock.
Sheehan is not completely new to Westlock, though. Growing up on a farm west of Morinville, he was a frequent visitor to the town for his sports games and eventually had his wedding at the Westlock Community Hall.
Originally having a background in music with various positions that involved both the communications and the organizational aspects that go into the director's role made Sheehan one of the top picks for the role.
During his time at the University of Alberta, he worked as a Student Information Services Assistant (SISA) where he would be a reference guide for students, staff and faculty looking for more information. This front-line work expanded beyond the university's library and into their academic services as well for what Sheehan called a one-stop shop for anybody who had questions.
While living in Edmonton during his educational pursuits, he still maintained that connection to the rural area. “COVID changed a lot of things. One of the things that both my wife and I really felt was important was a connection to the community. And so for us, it became really important to reconnect with our rural roots.”
As the new director, Sheehan will oversee all the operations and the staff, including managing relationships, communicating with the Library Board and maintaining the budget.
The Westlock Libraries have already done a considerable amount of work in being the centre of community connection from the Coffee with Cops held every third Thursday to their summer-long reading challenge, Camp Read S’more. “I can tell that there are strong roots here and that everybody is deeply invested in fostering community and it's been really cool to see how much of that happens in our life. I look forward to trying to continue to foster that as best as possible,” Sheehan says.
As he moves forward in his role at Westlock Libraries, he will think of himself as support for what the current staff have excelled at already, “Just understanding a baseline so that I know how best I can support this role. My view is more of a supporting role than a domineering one. That's not how I view directorship. I think it's important to look at our successes, look at what we need, and then meet that need.”
Sheehan plans to get involved with the town more in the next few months and attend upcoming events to stay connected with the community.
