Pat Conway is retiring from the Glenwood Springs Branch Library on March 21, 2014. Pat has worked for Garfield County Libraries since 1994 and has been the Branch Manager of the Glenwood Springs Branch for the past 16 years. In her time working at the Glenwood Springs Branch she became very involved in the community and has been a regular attendee at many local events. In conjunction with the Frontier Historical Society, Pat helped develop the Winter Lecture Series which has featured numerous speakers and topics over the years. Bringing the past alive has been a passion for Pat, and these wonderful programs have been a hallmark of her career at the library.
Pat originally hails from Michigan, but has made Colorado her home since 1974. She moved from the Denver area to the Western Slope nineteen years ago. In her youth, Pat was an exchange student in Europe and studied for a semester in Germany. She changed her career path a couple of times, until she found a job at the library, and discovered it was where she really wanted to be. She is a woman with many interests, including creative writing, poetry, hiking and cross-country skiing in the mountains, and serves on the board of the Community Concert Association. She enjoys spending time with her husband of 38 years, and taking care of her two rescued cats. She always looks forward to visits with her step-son and daughter-in-law who reside in Boston.
One of Pat’s main goals has been to provide the best customer service possible and have everyone in the community feel welcome at the library. For many years she had a strong and dedicated Friends of the Glenwood Springs Library group that ran the library’s successful book sales. Pat has seen the library grow in numerous ways in her 20 year tenure. Visitors to the library have more than doubled from 56,000 to nearly 135,000 in 2013. Items borrowed from the library have increased from just over 53,000 in 1996 to 122,000 in 2013. Pat has experienced the growth of technology in the library and has shepherded the staff through many changes. She helped install the first automated Marmot catalog system at the library, and more recently oversaw the addition of a sortation system, self-check stations, and iPads. Pat leaves a legacy of attention to detail, a focus on staff training, and an unwavering dedication to customer service.
A reception in Pat’s honor will be held in the Friends’ Community Room at the library from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, March 21. Refreshments will be served and the public is welcome to attend. Please join us to celebrate the career of a dedicated and accomplished librarian.
Amelia Shelley, Executive Director