Proud to be librarian

As the Mortenson Center Associates Program comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on a question that has accompanied me throughout these four weeks:

How do we measure the true impact of a library?

I arrived in Illinois hoping to learn about impact assessment, return on investment, leadership, and social transformation. I am leaving with new tools, new ideas, and new perspectives. But more importantly, I am leaving with a deeper understanding that not everything that matters can be easily counted.

Learning from the Amish Community

One of the most memorable experiences of the final week was visiting the Amish community.

Before this visit, I knew very little about their way of life. Like many people, I had only a general idea of who they were. Spending time in their community helped me understand a different perspective on technology, family, work, and human relationships.

What impressed me most was their generosity. They welcomed us into their world, shared their stories, and allowed us to learn from their traditions and values.

The visit reminded me that there are many different ways to live a meaningful life and that understanding different communities is essential if libraries want to serve everyone effectively.

Arthur Public Library and the Meaning of Impact

The visit to Arthur Public Library may have been the most important lesson of the entire program for me.

Throughout the Mortenson Program, we discussed assessment, data, metrics, outcomes, and evidence. These are essential tools for demonstrating library value. However, Arthur Public Library showed me something even more important.

The library regularly helps members of the Amish community use computers, printers, online forms, and digital services. Because many Amish families do not use these technologies at home, the library becomes a bridge between their community and the modern world.

How do you measure that?

You can count library cards.

You can count visitors.

You can count computer sessions.

But can you truly measure the confidence of someone who learns how to complete an important document online? Can you measure the opportunities created when a person gains access to information or services they could not reach otherwise?

This is where impact becomes more than statistics.

The experience reminded me that some of the most important outcomes of library work are qualitative. They are found in people’s lives, stories, opportunities, and experiences. Data helps us understand impact, but human stories help us understand why impact matters.

Presenting Our Action Plans

The final presentations of our Action Plans were another highlight of the week.

As presentation day approached, many of us became surprisingly nervous. We have spent our careers speaking in public, leading meetings, and presenting projects. Yet suddenly, standing in front of our colleagues felt different.

I think the reason was simple.

None of us wanted this experience to end.

Behind the nerves was the realization that these four weeks had become something much more meaningful than a professional training program. We wanted to do justice to everything we had learned, to the ideas we were taking home, and to the friendships we had built along the way.

Listening to everyone’s projects was inspiring. Although we come from different countries, cultures, and library systems, we all share the same desire: to make our libraries stronger and more impactful for the communities we serve.

More Than a Professional Program

When I look back at these four weeks, I do not only think about workshops, library visits, presentations, and lectures.

I think about conversations.

I think about shared meals.

I think about laughter on long bus rides.

I think about discovering new places together.

I think about seeing libraries through the eyes of colleagues from around the world.

The Mortenson Center has created something truly special. It brings together professionals from different countries and reminds us that, despite our differences, we face many of the same challenges and share many of the same hopes.

Proud to Be a Librarian

If there is one feeling I am taking home with me, it is pride.

Pride in belonging to this profession.

Throughout the program, we met librarians, library leaders, archivists, educators, preservation specialists, technology experts, and community advocates. Every one of them demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to serving others.

Libraries are not built by collections, technology, or buildings alone.

They are built by people.

People who believe that knowledge should be accessible.

People who believe that communities deserve opportunities to learn and grow.

People who work every day to make a positive difference, often without recognition.

The Mortenson Center reminded me that librarians are among the most generous, creative, and dedicated professionals I have ever met.

A Final Thank You

As this journey comes to an end, I am deeply grateful.

Grateful to the Mortenson Center team for creating an unforgettable experience.

Grateful to every library, institution, and community that welcomed us.

Grateful to my fellow Associates, whose friendship, knowledge, and perspectives enriched every day of the program.

And grateful for the opportunity to be part of a global community of library professionals working toward a common goal.

I arrived hoping to learn how libraries create impact.

I leave understanding that impact is not only found in statistics, reports, or dashboards.

Sometimes impact is found in a conversation.

Sometimes in a new idea.

Sometimes in a friendship.

And sometimes in a library helping someone do something they could never have done alone.

That is the kind of impact that stays with people long after the numbers are forgotten.