Melissa Harter is the new director of Wilbraham Public Library.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WILBRAHAM — There is a new face at the Wilbraham Public Library. Melissa Harter began her tenure as the library’s director on Aug. 25, taking the reins from retiring director Karen Ball. As someone who believes in the role of libraries in fostering a sense of community, Harter said she is excited to begin the next chapter of her career in Wilbraham.
Harter said she “fell into” her profession as a librarian. She grew up in Washington, D.C. and had dreams of becoming a diplomat. “I’ve always liked talking to people and getting to know them,” she said. While in college, her interests began to shift toward library science.
Harter said the librarian profession has drastically changed over the past few decades. “It’s not someone with glasses at the desk telling you to be quiet,” she said. With the “exponential growth of information digitally,” librarians are now expected to have a mastery of resources beyond the library’s four walls or what can be ordered through a library exchange.
Harter spent over a decade working at the library in Fairbanks, Alaska, including six years as the director. That library served about 100,000 people with a staff of 55. She said the library had to be self-sufficient. One of the achievements she is most proud of during her time in Fairbanks was overseeing a $12 million renovation of the library.
When Harter and her family moved to Western Massachusetts two years ago to be closer to family in the state, she became the head of access services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “I have a lifetime of visiting Massachusetts,” she said. “It feels like home.” She said that when she learned of the job opening in Wilbraham, she visited the town and “fell in love” with the “warmth” of the community and its library.
After working in an academic library system at the university, Harter said she was excited to lead a public library once again. “Public libraries are so important now,” Harter said. “I appreciate the opportunity to help a community’s quality of life.”
Despite Wilbraham’s library serving a significantly smaller population than the one in Fairbanks, Harter said libraries everywhere satisfy the same purpose. “It’s really important to have a community space to gather,” Harter said. She explained that libraries serve the community in “every stage of life.” There are socialization programs for infants and toddlers, as well as their parents. School-age children learn to use the resource for reading and research, and there are programs for teens at most libraries, including in Wilbraham. Once people become adults, the generational cycle starts again when they bring their own children to the library. She said libraries are also vital for older adults to “continue to learn, continue to socialize.”
Harter said she is excited to take the reins at the Wilbraham Public Library because so much work has been done to build programs for the community. “They’ve done an amazing job with what they have here,” she said, praising her predecessor. Thinking of programs that she would like to add to the library’s offerings, Harter recalled the “Kids Literacy Farmers Market” that she ran in Fairbanks. She explained that vendors set up literacy-related activities for children. For each completed activity, the children received plastic “coins” which could then be spent at the farmer’s market. She said the program is helpful to help mitigate summer literacy loss.
Foremost among Harter’s tasks, however, is to meet people in the town and learn what they need from the library, she said, adding, “We’re going to be able to accomplish major things.”
