The Whistler Public Library officially has a new director.
On Nov. 9, The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) announced that Mikale Fenton has taken over as the new director of the Whistler Public Library (WPL) following former director Elizabeth Tracy’s departure to become CAO of the Village of Pemberton.
Fenton comes to Whistler with a wide variety of previous experiences, which she plans to use to connect people throughout the region with the library.
“My first priority in this role is to listen and learn,” she said.
“As I get to know my team and community better, I'm going to be looking for opportunities to bring my experience and skills to offer a fresh perspective to our service.”
Before entering the library world, Fenton worked primarily in the restaurant and hospitality sector, where she developed an appreciation for the challenges and struggles hospitality workers face, which will be a strength in getting to know the Whistler community.
Fenton began her career in libraries as a community librarian at the Edmonton Public Library before moving to the North Vancouver City Library (NVCL), where she advanced through the ranks, eventually becoming manager of public services.
While Fenton is new to living in Whistler, she is familiar with the community—as an avid snowboarder, she has been coming up Highway 99 to ski Whistler Blackcomb for years while living in Metro Vancouver.
Her partner lived in Whistler for a decade, and while they didn’t meet on the mountain, moving here has been something of a return to roots for the couple, she said.
In her new role, one of Fenton’s priorities is strengthening the library's relationship with key community stakeholders such as School District 48 and the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, she said, noting relationship building was also one of her key priorities at NVCL.
“Building relationships through community partnerships has been a focus on my work for many years,” she said.
Further, Fenton said she wants the library to play an increasing role in reconnecting the community following the disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just recognizing that COVID has been a significant disrupter in many aspects of our lives, I see the library as playing a crucial role in reconnecting our community, so I'm looking forward to being a part of that,” she said.
Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton welcomed Fenton to the role.
“I’m really excited Mikale Fenton is Whistler Public Library’s new director,” Crompton said in a release. “Her experience will be a huge benefit to the library, the RMOW, as well as the broader Whistler community.”
General manager of corporate and community services Ted Battiston thanked outgoing director Tracy for building a solid foundation for Fenton to build upon, and the acting directors who filled the gap while the RMOW searched for a new director.
“I’d like to thank the management team at the WPL for providing interim leadership as acting directors over the last few months,” Battiston said in the release.
“Elizabeth certainly deserves a great deal of credit for building strong foundations at the WPL, but I’d also like to recognize the work of the current WPL managers who have really stepped up to bridge the time until we could welcome Mikale to her new role as library director.”
The Whistler Public Library regularly hosts community events such as author meet and greets, Whistler Community Services Society programming, program educational forums and even choir meetings. You can find all the upcoming events happening at the library at whistlerlibrary.ca.
