The new year is bringing a number of personnel changes at the library with familiar faces moving up the ladder into new roles. Former Eureka Springs Library Director April Griffith is the new regional administrator of the Carroll and Madison Library System (CAMALS); Christina Danos has been named the new library director; Cass Schallhorn is now assistant director and Kate Zakar has retired after working at the library for 24 years.
“It is great to see we are in such good hands in Madison County and here in Carroll County and Eureka Springs,” Jean Elderwind, president of the CAMALS Foundation, said. “I can’t wait to see what is next. The staff has worked through the challenges of Covid and now making sure people know the library is open despite the scaffolding in front of the library being used for repairs.”
Elderwind described Zakar as a trailblazer who pushed all the envelopes to benefit library patrons.
“Zakar introduced an innovative teen summer program unlike any in the state,” Elderwind said. “She made magic.”
While Griffith will be missed, she has not gone far. Her offices are now at the Eureka Springs Community Center.
“April was certainly effective while she was at our Carnegie Library, especially with securing and overseeing grant opportunities,” Lucilla Garrett, president of the board of directors, said. “She also expanded the presence and influence of the Eureka Springs library at the annual meetings of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries. In her new position she will still be working with the Eureka library, which pleases everyone.”
Danos is a familiar face to patrons having worked at the library for the past 15 years, and Garrett said the library is fortunate to have Danos as director.
“During her tenure she has been responsible for helping with many administrative details such as monthly reports and budgeted projects,” Garrett said. “She has also been a great troubleshooter with issues like maintenance contracts. She has assisted with the current capital campaign mailings and kept the donor spreadsheet. All in all, her wealth of experience at the library should make the transition very smooth.”
Griffith said she admires that Danos is able to maintain her composure and keep an even keel when facing big challenges and stressful situations.
“Christina is well organized and able to plan for things down to the small details,” Griffith said. “These are great strengths for a librarian to possess. She has been a major asset, and I think it only makes sense that she should be stepping in now as director – I am grateful to know that our community can count on a friendly and familiar face behind the desk, making sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.”
Danos said she is thrilled to be taking on the role as director.
“My love for this library and the Eureka Springs community runs deep,” she said. “During my tenure as a library employee, I have fostered lasting relationships with patrons. I enjoy speaking with visitors and sharing my enthusiasm for the library and the town. I strive to make personal connections, in the hopes that people will feel better upon leaving than when they arrived, and I believe I succeed most of the time. This is a prestigious legacy, and I am looking forward to being of een greater service to this wonderful community.”
Griffith will be working to help coordinate shared collections and services across the two counties.
As library system administrator, Griffith will be responsible for coordination of the shared collections and services provided by the six libraries of CAMALS.
“I’ll be supporting the library directors who run the libraries, as well as representing these member libraries on a regional and state level,” Griffith said. “There are currently over 164,000 items altogether in the shared collections of CAMALS. Organizing, monitoring and maintaining these collections so they are discoverable and used by our community members can only be achieved through the careful implementation of well thought out policies and procedures.”
Her aspirations for the entire library system include helping forge a more cohesive identity for the system as a whole. She said each library is unique of course, and serves overlapping populations, but in the end, we have a shared purpose.
“Toward this end, I hope to work with the libraries to set new strategic goals to help guide us all into the future,” Griffith said. “The last set of strategic goals expired in 2018, and with the COVID pandemic and other challenges, new goals were not something we’ve been able to establish collectively, but it’s important to make sure we are developing in a way that best serves our patron’s needs as technology and the way they access and use information, evolves. Among these goals, I hope to help the other member libraries to also implement and execute more sustainable practices.”
Griffith has been in Eureka Springs ten years and library director for three-and-a-half years. She received her bachelor’s degrees in industrial design from the Art Institute of Colorado in 2009 and her Master’s in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2012.