Jeff Ross
I am eager to serve as a trustee of the Rye Public Library for two reasons: I strongly endorse the library’s mission and its vision for our community, and I believe the skills developed during my forty-year career as an educator offer a significant addition to the library’s leadership.
Rye Public Library’s vision is to be the “cultural heart of Rye†and its mission is to “enrich lifelong learning, discovery and creativity.†Its impressive record as one the most visited and utilized public libraries in the state of New Hampshire makes it a centerpiece of our community:
- Three times more visits per capita and two times more circulation than the state average
- Two times the number of programs for children and young adult and six times the public internet usage than the state average
I chose to live in Rye, because I saw it as a community with significant physical and natural resources but also a clear commitment to its human resources. Rye Public Library exemplifies that commitment.
My career as a teacher, coach, college counselor and associate director of admission was committed to the creation of tight-knit communities focused both on learning and service – “our best selves†and “the common good†in the words of one of them.  I spent most of my  time at a school not unlike our town –  one with a long history, a strong desire to clearly define its sense of purpose with regard to its constituents, and considerable but finite resources.
As with Rye, there was a regular need to respond to changing times to preserve that history and to maintain that sense of purpose. I often held positions of responsibility when those efforts were made:
- Assisted in the purchase and implementation of new customer relations management software for the office of admission
- Participated in marketing and branding studies and contributed to the creation of advertising materials
- Designed and implemented the “re-visit day†enrollment events
- Began and led an athletic and special interest recruitment program
- Assisted in recruitment, enrollment and retention of students from under-represented backgrounds
While Rye Public Library’s strengths are clear, to maintain and enhance them will take careful thought and well-considered action.
- A strategic plan indicates that library expansion should be a primary consideration.
- Changes in technology suggest that understanding in what new ways the library delivers services and provides information is a key to its future.
- Rye’s shifting demographics and financial needs will require the library to define its “whys†and clearly state their impacts on town residents.
I believe my skills would lend significant knowledge and experience to all of these, I ask for your support to elect me to serve the Rye Public Library and to serve the community in which it plays such a central role.
