New library director getting to know staff

After her first week as the director of the Bella Vista Public Library, Suzanne Adams felt like she had gotten to know her staff. But she hadn't met all the volunteers and, at the Bella Vista Library, the volunteers are very important.

Adams worked with volunteers in other libraries, but she's never seen volunteers running circulation and acting as the "front page" of a public library. She believes there may be 100 volunteers signed up, although some may not be active. It's a model that's been working well in Bella Vista, she said, and she's not planning to change it.

With volunteers manning the circulation desk, the staff has time to plan programs, she said. Her job is to help the staff do their jobs, she said. She wants to remove any barriers to her staff doing the job well.

Adams grew up in Mexico, Mo. -- north and west of St. Louis. After earning her master's degree in library science degree at the University of Central Missouri, she worked for 20 years at William Jewel College in Liberty, Mo. Her most recent position was at the North Branch Library in Silverthorne, Colo.

In Colorado, she helped the library reach out to residents at places where they gather, like churches and even laundry mats. She would like to find places in Bella Vista where the library can reach out, she said.

She would also like to develop a program where residents who love to travel can showcase their trips and bring slideshows to the library. That was a popular program in Colorado, she said.

When she researched Bella Vista before accepting the job, she found that the demographics are changing quickly here. She said that adds new challenges to the job. While she had to make sure the library is offering services to the young families moving in, she can't leave behind the long-term residents. She believes she can balance both and bring all of them to the library more often.

She's starting as director just as the Library Foundation prepares to break ground on the new addition to the library. That means she may be involved with helping to furnish the new space, but she doesn't know when that project will be underway.

When she's not at the library, Adams considers herself an outdoors person. She likes to hike and ride her bicycle. She may try some of the mountain bike trails if they're not too steep. She also enjoys gardening and cooking.