Federated Library System Welcomes New Director

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Dec. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Waukesha, WI – Waukesha County Federated Library System (WCFLS) welcomes a new Library System Director, Connie Meyer. Ms. Meyer brings 21 years of experience as library director of the Dwight Foster Library in Fort Atkinson and Administrator of the Jefferson County Library Service. Reflecting on her past roles in the public library, including working as a clerk and then later as a children’s librarian, she speaks of the joys and challenges of library work, public service and the importance of libraries in local communities. Meyer believes that “libraries change lives” including her own.

One of Meyer’s earliest memories as a child is being shown how to use the card catalog at the library. She remembers it as a defining moment of her youth, like being handed a key to the world. Meyer said “It gave me, as an individual, the ability to find the information I wanted.”

In her new role as Library System Director, Meyer is committed to supporting and improving the public libraries in Waukesha County. “Libraries have a tall order to continue to provide excellent library services within local funding constraints. Waukesha County leads the way in fostering an economically vibrant community and libraries play a big part in that equation.  Libraries are a key avenue of information access for our citizens.  Not only do they offer a wealth of information and materials, but they also help us make sense of it all.  Library services are important to our quality of life and the buildings themselves exist as anchors in 16 communities throughout the county.”

Meyer looks forward to working with the 16 public libraries in Waukesha County because they are excellent examples of what libraries should be. “We have high caliber libraries in Waukesha County because they are held to countywide standards” said Meyer. Connie adds that there is a solid infrastructure in place which includes an automation system shared among all 16 libraries. That means a citizen in a small community will have access to the same resources as a citizen in a larger community. Meyer adds that “sharing with each other expands each library’s ability to offer the greatest number of items and also reduces local costs.” Today, the shared automation catalog, called CAFÉ (Cooperative Access For Everyone), contains 1.8 million records for books, DVDs, audio books and more.

Waukesha County Federated Library System (WCFLS) is funded by state and county dollars and is an agency whose mission is to support and enhance the 16 Waukesha County public libraries. The WCFLS office is located in downtown Waukesha, just a few blocks North of Waukesha Public Library. For more information, visit www.wcfls.org.