Following a national search, Teton County’s Library Board has announced that Dawn Jenkin will take the helm as the next Director of Library Services in February of 2019. Dawn brings experience working in academic, school, and public libraries as well as years in corporate information services and consulting.
She will move to Jackson from Amsterdam where she has been consulting on organizational structure and strategy for the last year. From 2013 to 2017, Dawn was the Director at Clark Public Library in Clark, New Jersey, population 16,000, and between 2012 and 2013, she served as the Interim Director at Orange Public Library in Orange, New Jersey, population 30,000. Dawn oversaw a staff of 15 at Clark Public Library and as a consultant has helped improve communication and culture for teams comprised of as many as thirty-five people.
In addition to more than a decade of experience within libraries in various roles, Dawn also served as President of a consortium of 20 Library Directors in the Libraries of Union County Consortium (LUCC).
From a young age, Dawn used libraries to connect with the larger world and credits them with leading her to become a first-generation college student. In her application she shared, “Growing up in upstate New York, our nearest grocery store was an hour away from my home. Rural life has great rewards and plentiful challenges. On our bi-weekly visits ‘to town,’ our local library served as my intellectual lifeline.”
No stranger to small towns or the benefits and challenges facing resort communities, Dawn has innovative ideas about juggling the library needs of both local and visiting patrons. In New Jersey, she resided in seasonal shore communities and helped to guide their development and growth through civic participation and community engagement.
Library Board Chair Carol Peck said, “We are 110% behind Dawn and look forward to welcoming her to our community and seeing her leadership continue to make Teton County Library an essential place to thrive in a changing world.”
“The Teton County Library has a stellar reputation, and plays such an important role in the community,” Dawn said. “First and foremost, I believe it’s my job to ensure that we continue to provide excellent service and resources to Teton County, and I know that this will involve a lot of listening and learning at the beginning. I’m committed to working with the current staff to build a foundation of trust and collaboration to create a great environment. In addition, no one knows the needs of the patrons and the community better than the staff and the Board, and I intend to learn from them and empower them to make sure the Library remains a critical resource and welcoming place for everyone.”