Summit County’s new Library Director is a dedicated fiction reader, a mother of three young children, a Breckenridge resident, a big believer in community partnerships and a “proud steward” of the county’s libraries.

Sarah Wilkinson hailed from Denver when she moved to Summit County 11 years ago to be a library technician at the South Branch Library in 2014. In the intervening decade, Wilkinson has worked steadily for departments in Summit County’s government. Her parents were teachers and she said she learned a commitment to serving from them and a commitment to public service from her time in county government.

For several years she worked in the management office, then the assessor’s office, and finally as Deputy Communications Director before coming full circle to the department where she started. Wilkinson was named Library Director on Jan. 7. “I feel lucky to be in a community that supports the library,” she said.

Community is at the heart of all library services, Wilkinson explained. “Our mission statement is: more than books, more than buildings, your connection to community.” She’s proud that the department takes such care to listen to its patrons.

Wilkinson pointed out that before any renovation work was done to the North Branch and Main Branch, which both received renovations in the past several years, the library department sought public feedback through surveys to determine the way forward. The community said it needed more study and meeting rooms, and so more were built into the renovation plans, said Wilkinson. In 2024, with renovations complete, 5,227 study room reservations were made across all three branches. It’s one of many examples to show that the county’s libraries hear and respond to their community, Wilkinson said. 

Prior library director, Stephanie Ralph, did so much to modernize the libraries both in operations as well as its facilities, said Willkinson, that there are no big plans for renovations in the near future. Wilkinson said the public and staff need a chance to settle into all the new spaces and operations. Her focus will be other facets of adaptation and growth. 

While there have been great cultural movements to affirm the library’s role as a community space, Wilkinson said, its other main role should not be forgotten. “We’re a community space but we’re also, at our heart, a place for books and information,” she said. “We’re here to help and find information for people,” she said. 

A big goal for the new director is to ensure Spanish-speaking residents and those from other countries know the library is a free and welcoming resource for them. 

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“Libraries are uniquely American because they’re free and open to anyone,” Wilkinson said. 

Wilkinson’s time working for Summit County government has given her a birds-eye view of the broad range and scope of services that local government does for its community. Wilkinson aims to connect her department with more community partners that will further serve the county. One example she gave was the community’s need for more housing. While the library can’t provide housing, it can provide opportunities for residents to meet with housing partners and acquire information. 

Libraries have had to adapt continually over the years to address major changes in media and informational technologies, and Wilkison anticipates artificial intelligence is the next culture shift with which library departments will wrestle. “AI is not going anywhere,” she said. Already libraries are investigating how patrons use this online tool, she added. 

What is Summit’s new library director, surrounded by stacks of books, reading? “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean, an informative read for obvious reasons, “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See for her book club and “Robot, Burp Head, Smartypants,” the current read-aloud favorite with her three children, who are 7 months, 4 years, and 6 years old. 

With summer approaching, Wilkinson encourages everyone to stop by a library branch for the wide variety of reading challenges, prizes and programs for patrons of all ages. Summer is the library department’s busiest season, she explained. “We have something for everyone,” she said. Check the library’s website, https://summitcountylibraries.org/, for more information soon.