New Wisconsin Rapids library director ready to tackle staff concerns, budget challenges
Alan HovorkaWISCONSIN RAPIDS – The next head of the city's public library saw how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated societal problems and how libraries play a key role, even when closed, in supporting the community.
One such experience stands out for Katherine Elchert, incoming executive director of McMillian Memorial Library, when she and her staff kept the Wi-Fi on so people could sit in the parking lot and have internet access.
"Libraries are essential to our democracy and they're essential centers of the community," said Elchert, who currently serves as director of Rice Lake Public Library. "COVID exposed a whole range of major infrastructure situations in society that I think the library already knew about."
Elchert, 36, replaces Andy Barnett, who retired this month after working for the library for almost 30 years. Barnett's career at the library oversaw installing a 470-panel solar array that generates enough power for the library and 25 homes and one of the library's largest renovations that remodeled its adult room, theater and kitchen and added a makerspace and meeting rooms.
Elchert's selection by the library's board concludes a months-long search for Barnett's replacement. Elchert will take over the library in August. JoAnn Ogreenc, assistant director at the library, will serve as the interim library director.
Elchert has served as the library director for the Rice Lake Public Library since 2016. She started as a child's librarian in Rice Lake in 2013. Elchert graduated from Lawrence University in 2008 with a double major in history and art history and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 with a master's degree in library science.
Andrea Galvan, president of the library's board, said Elchert was part of the board's initial list of finalists but withdrew for personal reasons. The board's two remaining finalists – Tina Norris and Natalie Houston – did not pan out and the board faced having to restart its search.
Elchert, however, approached the board after reconsidering her decision and the board offered her the job, Galvan said. Elchert said a series of job changes in her family made her take a step back from the job in Wisconsin Rapids initially. The board remained interested in her as a candidate throughout the process.
Elchert said her first priority will be to take stock of staff attitudes and feelings about how the library is performing. The library has won awards and has flashy new spaces but she wants to place staff well-being first, she said.
"What I'm interested in is connecting with the staff and making sure they have the support needed to connect with the community members on a daily basis," she said.
Elchert will face two major challenges when she starts in August: promoting the use of the library's $2 million renovated spaces and wrangling what could be a difficult budget year as the City Council signaled last year they wanted to cut funding for the library.
"The library is often the department that's giving you the most bang for your buck," she said. "It's the department seeing the most citizens on a daily basis. It's important for the community and the council to understand that."
In her time at Rice Lake, Elchert has navigated three major budget cuts to the library. She said staff input will be key to deciding how to make cuts if they come.
"I've already been through the wringer," she said. "The library needs to make sure we're doing a thoughtful job of allocating our community resources, our public funding."
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Contact reporter Alan Hovorka at 715-345-2252 or ahovorka@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ajhovorka.