By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Brian Paskvan was the President of the Board of Trustees when Michael Penrod was promoted from assistant library director in 2011.
He was president before any of the other current members joined the board of trustees.
He was president when the budget tanked in the Great Recession in 2009 and state revenue tanked. Then he helped lead the effort to pass the library’s first operating levy and has worked to has get renewed twice, each time by a larger margin.
On Monday, Paskvan announced he was stepping aside as president, though he will continue to serve on the board.
It was time, he said, for the board to have a new leader. “It’s been a wonderful wild ride.”
The board elected Ken Frisch as president. Becky Bhaer was re-elected as vice president and Ellen Dalton was elected as secretary, replacing Frisch.
Bhaer thanked Paskvan for his dedication to library and being an eloquent spokesperson.
Dalton told him: “You’ve been a very effective advocate for the library.”
Penrod said, as a director hired from within, it was good to have someone to turn to between meetings to discuss how matters should be handled.
“He sees the big picture,” Penrod said. “He gets the long-term view.”
Paskvan takes in account the needs of all the library’s constituencies – the staff, the patrons, the community.
In an email to the press after the meeting, Penrod listed other initiatives that Paskvan has helped lead:
- He worked with the Library Foundation to start the annual benefit (now Novel Night) in 2009.
- He backed the restoration and opening of the Carter House in 2013.
- He advocated for the renovation and expansion of the Walbridge library in 2017.
- He worked with the Foundation to create and fund the Foundation Series, which most recently hosted Danny Trejo.
- He led several Strategic Plans that, Penrod wrote, “have challenged and inspired me and the entire staff to think of new things to do to serve our community.”
Frisch said that as president he sees the job in front of him as maintaining the momentum the library has as it moves beyond the restrictions of the pandemic. The pandemic forced the library to make changes in how it operated, and many of those will benefit it in the long run, he said.
Using a toy treasure chest stuffed with plastic jewels, the library director, spoke of all the rewards of the past year.
That included hosting speakers again.
- Mystery writer Robin Yocum, a BGSU alumnus.
- Author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goode, the team that created “We Are Water Protectors,” which inspired related activities in the Children’s Place.
- Actor, cook and raconteur Trejo, who said everything good in his life came from helping others.
- Children’s book author and illustrator Raul the Third, who attracted a very diverse audience.
Digital traffic also increased dramatically, expanding engagement with the community, Penrod said.
The library’s new book drop on Court Street opened as the construction of the new city building next door forced the closure of the former book drop. The new one is more conveniently located for the staff.
The construction also inspired the creation of an interactive learning room in the former quiet study space behind the desk in the Children’s Place. The first theme was construction to go along with the activities next door.
Interactive activities for adults, including the recent local cookbook display, have also been offered.
The library provides homework help and snacks to help students make up for academic losses during the pandemic.
And the library has done more to help staff develop their skills.
It has also changed its new employee orientation “with a focus on how their job impacts the community,” Penrod said.
Frisch said that the board will also be spending time looking at the library’s building needs.
Plans presented earlier have been shelved as conditions changed during the pandemic when the library had to rethink how it delivered services. Also, last year the library purchased and razed the house just to the north of the Carter House where the library plans to construct a “carriage house” style storage facility.
The board will meet in February for a retreat to consider the direction forward on renovating and expanding the library.
