Dear Friends,
Kristi here, to share a very bittersweet message. I am leaving Skidompha Library to go back to teaching this fall. While it is truly heartbreaking to step away from the greatest job I have ever had, I am also very much looking forward to stepping back into the classroom.
Forgive me if you’ve already heard me tell this story, but I’d like to share for those of you with whom I haven’t: When I was about eight years old, living in Massachusetts, a friend gave me a copy of Miss Rumphius for my birthday. The book was an instant obsession, and I vowed to live my life like the main character. As a young adult, I began teaching lower elementary children and read the book to my students every year for fifteen years.
Fast forward: my family and I moved to Maine in 2019, and in 2021 I became the teen services librarian here at Skidompha. Two years later, I was able to shift into the role of children’s librarian. For those of you who don’t already know, Skidompha Library as it stands today was funded in large part by Miss Rumphius author Barabara Cooney and her family. It felt almost magical to work with children in the very building that she helped create.
Just this morning, Hannah and I hosted the final Intergenerational Book Club for this year’s Summer Reading Program. We had all read the book World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney by Angela Burke Kunkel and Becca Stadtlander. We ranged in ages from 6 to 81, and the conversation was lively, inspired, and full of hope and gratitude. It reminded us of the incredible community we all love here in Midcoast Maine.
Perhaps the very best part of working here at Skidompha has been that community. My colleagues are some of the most intelligent, funny, and caring people I know. You all, as patrons, share your enthusiasm for our work, use the space to connect with one another, and find ways to support literacy, arts, and education. A big thank you goes out to all the amazing local nonprofits and businesses that are always willing to partner and use our unique resources to achieve common goals.
This letter is getting long, but I guess the heart of what I want to say is that this community is special. We all know that already, but I think if we continue to lean on one another and support the good work we see all around us, we are much luckier than most.
I cannot wait to meet my class of kindergarteners in the very near future, but I hope to see you all here in the library sometime, from the other side of the desk.
Warmest regards,
Kristi
Kristi Favaloro
Youth Services Librarian
Skidompha Public Library