My vision is to cultivate an even stronger library presence in our community through increased outreach services and collaboration with other city departments to reach community goals. I hope you will allow me to continue the impressive legacy of the Apache Junction Public Library as its next library director.”

Pamela Harrison, library director at Apache Junction Public Library

By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

Pamela Harrison, who has worked for seven years in the youth department at the Apache Junction Public Library, 1177 N. Idaho Road, has been hired as library director.

She replaces Spencer Paden, the long-time director of the library, who retired on March 26 after 33 years with the City of Apache Junction.

The Apache Junction City Council on April 8 voted to ratify Ms. Harrison’s appointment as library director, with Mayor Jeff Serdy at the dais and all other councilmembers attending by phone.

“As library director, I will work hard to continue the great work that has been accomplished by our library,” Ms. Harrison said at the meeting, prior to the council vote.

“My vision is to cultivate an even stronger library presence in our community through increased outreach services and collaboration with other city departments to reach community goals. I hope you will allow me to continue the impressive legacy of the Apache Junction Public Library as its next library director,” she said.

Ms. Harrison has a bachelor’s degree in arts and secondary education at the State University of New York, Oswego, and a master’s degree in library science at the University of Albany in New York.

“Pam is very experienced. She has worked with our library system as a supervisory librarian and Fun Van supervisor since 2014 and worked for the Maricopa County library system before that, from 2011 to 2014,” Apache Junction City Manager Bryant Powell said at the council meeting.

She has 23 years of library experience, including almost six as a supervisory librarian at the Apache Junction library, according to a release.

She spent nearly three years as adult and youth services supervisor at the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert and more than 10 years as a librarian in the Gilbert Public School district, at Greenfield Junior High. She began her career at libraries and schools in North Carolina, the release states.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987. Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows