Devon Hedges has joined Cobleskill's Community Library as director and as far as libraries go, he's convinced his timing couldn't be better.
Mr. Hedges is a graduate of SUNY Albany who lives in Guilderland.
He most recently worked in the Albany Public Library System, but prior to earning his graduate degree in 2010, worked in the social services field for five years.
"More people come to libraries from social services than you'd think," Mr. Hedges said Wednesday in his office.
"There's a lot of common ground, both in working with individuals and communities. I enjoy things like organizing information for people. The library felt like a great fit."
Mr. Hedges said a background like his is especially valuable when considered against the fact that more and more, libraries are becoming the hubs of their communities.
Not only are there books, but downloadable E-books, movies and music, places for community groups to meet, and bank after bank of computers.
"We want to accommodate everyone," he said, including those who need a quiet place to work.
"We have a room for that."
Mr. Hedges sees the Community Library as an evolving institution.
Libraries in the 1800s loaned everything from tools to cake pans, he pointed out, and the idea of non-traditional library uses is something he wants to build on.
All libraries, Mr. Hedges said, are constantly re-evaluating and reorganizing their collections-what he called the physical library.
But today they also need to balance that with the digital revolution-things like a revamped website and an online presence.
"The question is: How do we showcase something that's not bricks and mortar," Mr. Hedges said. "That's the challenge."
Once Mr. Hedges gets his feet on the ground-and his office organized-he's especially looking forward to the library's Summer Reading Program.
"Those are the kinds of things that really keep libraries going for everyone," he said. "They're a lot of fun. They're about books, they bring kids into the library, and that's why we're all here."
An event to publicly welcome Mr. Hedges is being planned; watch the Times-Journal for details.