Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jayne Blackledge. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jayne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

I began my Library career volunteering to start children’s programming in our local public library. At the time, the library only offered Story Time. I expanded with many different programs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have a passion for reading. Connecting people of all ages with books is extremely important to me. During my tenure at the Library, our membership has increased fourfold. The Library relocated into a larger building that we renovated. One of the biggest challenges of my career was construction management and building design. The North Wales Area Library has won awards highlighting the green building design, friendly atmosphere, wealth of offerings and increase in membership. During the pandemic we learned innovative methods to meet our communities needs. We continue to offer curbside pick-up, which is very helpful to people in our community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A turning point at the Library happened when the library’s location was needed by the school we were housed in. It was a time to move or cease to exist. As a community, board and staff, we chose to proceed to find a new location in our community, work out a plan to renovate, raise funds, write grants, seek approvals and move forward to save our local library. Donors large and small participated. Half of the money needed was raised with a mortgage for the remainder. The goal was to pay off the mortgage in 10 years and be debt free. The mortgage was paid off in 6 years. The Library has many green aspects that have helped our budget with reduced energy costs, including a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

My love of literacy has not changed and I would choose the same profession. I firmly believe the reading leads to success. Every child deserves the right to a great education, and that begins with a foundation in reading,

Contact Info:

• Website: www.northwaleslibrary.org