New library CEO eager to assess community’s wants and needs

Jen Kendall says there is room for improvement.

She took over on November 11 as the new chief executive officer of Fort Erie Public Library (FEPL) following the departure of Schelley Hiebert six months ago.

Long-time library employee Maria Brigantino had been filling in until a replacement was found.

In a sitdown interview with Fort Erie Radio, Kendall said the library is “potentially not meeting the community’s needs” and that she is eager to get to work.

Asked what specific indicators she has seen to make her feel that way, she responded by saying “there has been some discussion online,” but did not elaborate further.

“I always wonder if things could be better,” she said.

FEPL and its three branches serve Greater Fort Erie as hubs of learning and connection.

Kendall looks forward to learning “how our library services are lining up with the community’s wants and needs,” she said Monday, the same day she was introduced to town council by library board chair Larry Graber.

She said FEPL will offer surveys and focus groups to better determine which direction the library needs to head in, adding that technology is “essential for libraries to remain relevant and effective.”

It’s also important that the library helps people adapt to how quickly the technological world is advancing and becoming part of daily life.

“We need to be a place where not only can people access the digital world, but receive support in navigating it,” said Kendall.

When e-books were introduced 20 years ago, many people thought they would “kill print” but “that didn’t happen,” she said, emphasizing that “navigating that balance” between traditional library services and the modern world is necessary.

Shared services with other libraries are also key through things such as reciprocal borrowing agreements, where a FEPL card is accepted at other libraries in the region, such as Pelham, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Welland.

“By collaborating with other libraries in our area, we can expand our reach, pool resources, and share knowledge,” she said, also referring to the sharing of databases or purchasing software together.

She’s also enthused by every branch, especially the two smaller ones–Crystal Ridge and Stevensville–having “dedicated” patrons in those parts of Greater Fort Erie.

Kendall entered the world of libraries eight years after leaving her previous career as a beautician.

She started as a library assistant in Edmonton, before spending time as a library clerk and graduate research assistant at the University of Alberta while completing her master’s degree in library and information studies.

Following that she spent time as a consultant librarian for the Parkland Regional Library in Alberta and became director of Portage la Prairie Regional Library in Manitoba.

Kendall said she is intrigued by Fort Erie’s “rich history” and that she enjoys life in small communities.

She is also as geographically close to her family as she has been for a long time, pointing out that she grew up in the Philadelphia, PA, area.

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