When Cindi Chasse took on the job as director of the Bluffton Public Library, she knew exactly what her biggest challenge would be. Like every other public library in the state of Ohio, the Bluffton library has seen its budget reduced to what Chasse terms a "bare-bones" approach. Yet, when patrons walk in the front door, they'll see a big, welcoming smile on Chasse's face.
Chasse is pleased that she has this "great opportunity to share my passion with others." She's found her staff to be "wonderful," as they've all been remarkably helpful in easing her first month on the job.
Too, she recognizes the fact that the severity and impact of the state funding reductions is a little less than other public libraries because of the Bluffton library's levy. That doesn't mean that Chasse and her staff won't have to make some changes, but they hope to retain the usual hours, doing the best with what they have. She and the library board are in the process of creating a manageable plan.
For Chasse, another challenge is to determine how to utilize volunteers. To that end, she is developing a "how you can help" plan for potential volunteers. Her job will be to identify the appropriate duties for each volunteer.
After spending five years on the staff of the Findlay-Hancock Public Library - the last two years of which she was adult services manager - Chasse worked at Bluffton University's Musselman Library in an interim position. So when she began to consider the public library position, she was already familiar with the community through her work at Musselman, but also from regular visits to the local farmer's market and various other village events.
Chasse, who began her new position on Sept. 1, earned a bachelor's degree in business, a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University, and a master's in library science from Kent State University. Her husband, Steve, is an engineer.
Asked to name her favorite type of book, Chasse says she prefers nonfiction or at least a book from which she can learn things. She loves books that "challenge my thinking and broaden my perspective."
"I have a love of learning - an endless love of learning," said Chasse. "What I love about libraries is that they are so many things to so many people of all ages. (There is) a diversity of every aspect."
While her love for learning was developed at an early age - when libraries were quiet, hush-hush facilities - Chasse realizes that much has changed over the years.
Technology, she says, has "changed the way we work" and provides us with access to a whole world of learning. The noise level is different nowadays; more noise is "driven by the way we work." For example, there is more talking as children and adults work in teams at libraries, the clicking of computer keyboards, and ringing of cell phones. Not - she insists - that noise is a bad thing.
"It's kind of exciting when there is a life in the library," said Chasse. She grins when asked about her perspective of the noise caused by children in the library, as they begin to filter in after school and during vacations. It's not something she would classify as a "problem".
"Problem is a relative term. Kids are just kids. They're just getting out of school; they're full of energy," she said, adding that therein lies another challenge for her and her staff - providing learning opportunities for kids. Chasse hopes they can provide children of all ages - including teenagers - with opportunities that will "entice them to be part of our library."
