Wilkinson Public Library ~ A Five Star Library

Starred Libraries by State
Ray Lyons & Keith Curry Lance
Library Journal ~ 2/15/2009

San Miguel County Public Library District #1, Telluride, CO: Never Complacent

When you work in an isolated mountain town, it’s easy to get complacent and make excuses for mediocrity. In Telluride, we never let that happen. We only hire people with passion for libraries and live by the mantra “hire for attitude, train for skill.” We bring in bright young people who’ve come here to ski and light their intellectual fire. Out of 22 FTE’s, we have four MLS’s and three more of our staff are in library school with support from PLA Grow Your Own scholarships.

One of those students has been named an ALA Emerging Leader. Are we worried we’ll lose our budding leaders? In Telluride, where people come and go with the seasons, there’s a strong chance we will. But we’ll have contributed to the profession and in the meantime, the energy and intellect make the library buzz. In the words of a regular patron, “The library has never been more alive.” —Barbara Brattin, Library Director

~ Faith