REGINA, Sask. — After serving as the director of public services at the Saskatoon Public Library for the last 10 years, Beth Cote is excited to be back in her hometown and to step into the role of CEO at the Regina Public Library.
“The Regina Public Library, is both the public library that I sort of first encountered as a young person growing up in Regina so, it is the public library that first taught me what public libraries can be, and first sort of stoked my passion for what public libraries can mean to the people who live in that community.”
Hitting the ground running, Cote is already interested in finding out from Regina citizens what kinds of growth and change they would like to see for the RPL.
“Although I’m very passionate about public libraries and what they can be for people as placemakers, as real community catalysts, as welcoming spaces where people can access information, and sort of bastions of intellectual freedom, I think what’s most important is what the people of Regina really want to see in their library, and starting to really understand what the community is looking for.”
Cote recognizes challenges that will no doubt present themselves, such as the public’s expectation of access to certain kinds of technology, navigating how to be fiscally responsible during an age of economic uncertainty, as well as changes to safety and security, but she is confident in the RPL’s ability to stand strong.
“Public libraries, I would say, have always been and are still very well positioned to be able to meet those challenges.”
