Introducing: Library
Director
Heidi Dolamore
After a national search, the Board of Library Trustees selected
Heidi Dolamore as the Director of the Berkeley Public Library! With more than a decade of experience in Bay Area libraries, Heidi brings a wealth of experience with her to Berkeley.
Here are a few words from Heidi to help us get to know her as she begins an exciting new chapter of library leadership.
Professional background and interests:
My first job in a public library was as a circulation clerk with Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR. After being promoted to a paraprofessional reference position, I departed to pursue a Ph.D. in German at Washington University in St. Louis. While in St. Louis, I worked at the St. Louis Art Museum and was drawn back to the world of books while working on an exhibition of illustrated manuscripts. I returned to the Pacific Northwest to attend library school at the University of British Columbia. While there, I worked in the agriculture and forestry library, and in the science and engineering library. Since moving to the Bay Area, I've worked as a children's librarian for San Mateo County; a branch manager in San Pablo, Pinole, and Pleasant Hill for Contra Costa County Library; as Deputy Director for Solano County; and Assistant Director for San José.
Thoughts on the library:
Outside the Central Library, there is a plaque that reads, "Contribution Of The Citizens Of Berkeley To The Cause Of Education." I find these words inspiring, because they serve as a reminder that the Library is not only a gift to the people of Berkeley, it is a gift from the people of Berkeley. Moreover, by highlighting the cause of education, it affirms that we are part of a larger conversation, something bigger than any one person, a conversation that has a life beyond library walls, beyond the neighborhoods of Berkeley.
Book currently reading:
Since I'm a librarian, I can't name just one. I just finished
Uprooted by Naomi Novik, am in the middle of
Plain Sailing by Dallas Murphy, and am about to start the sequel to
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman.
Personal passions:
I'm more than a little obsessed with the
City Arts and Lecture series that airs on KQED. I recently attended conversations with Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, and most weeks I can be found attending a lecture or performance. I love riding my bike, it's my preferred mode of getting from A to B. I once rode 50 miles per week as part of my regular commute. I'm riding in the Oakland Gran Fondo later this month with some other librarians to support Bike East Bay - our team name is Radfahrenheit 451 (Radfahren means cycling in German).
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