Meet the Library Board

How long have you lived in Wood River?

I have lived in Wood River for 10 years

What do you like most about our town?

I enjoy the people of Wood River, my neighbors, and how much people care for each other. I really came to admire this community during March 2019, as I watched everyone help each other through the flood and during the rebuilding process.  

What made you want to serve on the board?

As a kid, my mom would often take me to the library, and she helped inspire in me a love of reading. I was excited to join the Board to help grow the Maltman Library. It’s an exciting time to be on the Board, as we make plans for a new, modern and larger facility at Legacy Station.

What makes you most excited about the library?

I am excited by the number of books we have added in the past year! We have used budgeted funds and grant funds to purchase thousands of dollars of quality children’s books in the past year. In particular, we emphasized the purchase of award-winning children’s literature (Caldecott, Newberry). We also added a lot of fiction and non fiction adult books in a variety of genres. If there is a book you want to read and don’t see it, talk to one of the staff.

I am also excited about the possibilities for collaboration once we move into a new facility at Legacy Station. The Maltman Library staff has worked hard this past year to offer programming and collaborate with SCK, the Elementary School, and the Community Club. I am excited to see what opportunities develop in a larger space!

What's your occupation?

I am an elementary teacher. I currently teach 5th grade at Wood River Elementary School.

How long have you lived in Wood River?

We have lived in Wood River for 10 years.

What do you like most about our town?

I love the sense of community and people's willingness to help out their neighbors.

What made you want to serve on the board?

I love reading and libraries. I grew up spending a lot of time at my local library and I wanted to be a part of growing our library!

What makes you most excited about the library?

Our library has a bright future! Our new library building is going to open up so many new opportunities for the library and our community as a whole!

What's your occupation? 

I am a QI Statistical Analyst at Region 3 Behavioral Health Services since 2001

How long have you lived in Wood River? 

Our family has made Wood River home for over the past 20 years.

What do you like most about our town? 

I enjoy living in a small town with an active community making our town a better place to live. 

What made you want to serve on the board? 

As I was growing up, my mom was a public library director for many years so I was able to see first-hand how important libraries are in their communities.  I’m excited to be a part of the Board in helping the Maltman Library’s future opportunity to grow as part of the Legacy Station.  

What makes you most excited about the library? 

I am excited by all the activities the library continues to offer our town.  It’s an exciting time as we collaborate together towards the new larger facility at the Legacy Station and I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised by the increased involvements by patrons of all ages.  

What's your occupation? 

Assistant Principal at Westridge Middle School 

How long have you lived in Wood River? 

Almost eleven years.  My husband and I moved here in early 2013 and we welcomed our daughter in 2015..

What do you like most about our town? 

We love the sense of the small town community. From coming together for our schools and students to rebuilding after the 2019 flood, we support one another.

What made you want to serve on the board? 

Serving in education, I have seen first hand the results of what reading and being read to can do for a child. Supporting our local library is so much more than access to books; it's helping to create a sense of community for the youngest of children to mature adults.

What makes you most excited about the library? 

I am most excited about how Maltman is continuing to add programming for different areas of need.  The library is a pulse in the community that supports so many.  Being a part of that momentum is exciting.

What's your occupation? 

I am a Behavior Specialist for the Nebraska Autism Network. 

How long have you lived in Wood River? 

We have lived in Wood River for about 7 years. 

What do you like most about our town? 

There are so many things that I appreciate about our community. I love the city's continued focus on growth and development with projects like the pool, Legacy Station and the small business series. We have great schools... with supportive teachers and administrators. But mostly, there is a true sense of community among friends and neighbors in Wood River. We have appreciated getting to know more people around town and especially our neighbors. 

What made you want to serve on the board? 

I wanted to serve on board in order to help fulfill the library's mission of advancing literacy and fostering life-long learning. As a long time teacher, I know the power of literacy and was excited for the opportunity to support a community resource that creates access to literature and learning for all our community members.  

What makes you most excited about the library? 

I think the library is going through some exciting transitions! Not only are they moving to a new location, but they are updating the book collection, adding Makerspace resources for community members to access and increasing their social clubs for people of all ages. I am honored to be a part of this work and look forward to supporting existing and new offerings.