Difficult Decision - Now Set in Motion

Moving on from Maryland Libraries...

To tell you that this has been a difficult decision for me is quite an understatement. However, my need for full time employment couldn’t be ignored or postponed any longer, and I was motivated to send out a few resumes (and Julie worked very hard to make it so I could stay!! Thank you Julie!). To my surprise and –mostly – delight, I was offered a full time position as library director with the Delmar Public Library, in southern Delaware. Usually, news of this type is really good, but honestly, it is with a mixture of happiness tinged with sadness that I am leaving Maryland libraries, effective May 18th.

...to the Delmar Public Library, Delaware

This small, rural library sits right on the Maryland/Delaware border just a few miles from Salisbury, Maryland and about 30 minutes from Ocean City.


My puppy and I are also relocating to the area. I have found a little cottage just minutes from the library, with a pool and lovely garden. It's interesting that, during this time of securing a full time job and home, I have been involved with Delaware's "Walk It Off" (10 miles each week for 10 weeks) program. As of today (just completed week 8), I've logged in over a hundred miles and I realized this is about how far it is from my Newark home to my new place in southern Delaware.

I am pleased to be able to work and reside in the same state, and if you know anything about Delaware's size, you understand this challenge. This will be great for taxes and to greatly reduce my commute, but most of all, I will learn more about the community I will serve by living there.

By extension, I will also need to learn the systems, processes, and atmosphere of Delaware's libraries. I've lived in Newark, Delaware for quite a few years and have enjoyed my local free library. But I've always wondered about the fragmented system - fragmented only in comparison to Maryland's statewide services. I know I'm not alone in this. I also see changes in Delaware's libraries through its OPAC and Ask service, and in other, subtle ways. And I'm excited to be stepping into this.

So it's time to start packing and getting my new office and home organized. It's time to rent a truck, get help moving, scout out a new band and martial arts school, figure out where to go for groceries, the vet, walking my dog, find the bank and post office and parks, oh my! And while I'm at it, whenever I feel afraid, I'll listen to Julie Andrews' version of "I Whistle a Happy Tune" - with the Muppet Monsters, and I know I'll smile again!