Library News

by Jean Fajen, WDM Library Board of Trustees 

by Craig Long, Secretary, WDM Library Board of Trustees

by Bryan Myers, WDM Library Board of Trustees

Franklin D Roosevelt said, “I have an unshaken conviction that democracy can never be undermined if we maintain our library resources and a national intelligence capable of utilizing them.”  This still rings true today; the quality of our community in total is directly correlated to the quality of our public library and I, though not a librarian, take a direct part in maintaining that quality as a library Trustee.

by Melissa Gillespie, WDM Library Board of Trustees

by Ray Seidelman, Secretary, WDM Library Board of Trustees

Talking with a friend soon after I was appointed to the West Des Moines Library Board of Trustees in 2019, I expressed how excited I was to serve such a dynamic community institution.  He met my enthusiasm with, “that’s great…but do they still have libraries?”. 

"A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people."  Andrew Carnegie 

I spent an hour volunteering at the WDM Library Concierge Desk recently.  As President of the Board of Trustees, this is just one way that I am able to directly engage in the work of the library.  Although the Board of Trustees meets every third Tuesday of the month, to transact  important business, connecting with the day-to-day operations of the library is important to understanding more fully what goes on inside the walls at 4000 Mills Civic Parkway.