A personal and deep connection to Nevada libraries inspired the Carson City Library Board of Trustees to offer its highest staff position to acting director Joy Holt. In a unanimous vote on Thursday, the trustees offered the job to the fifth-generation Nevadan with a start date of Oct. 1 and an annual salary to be negotiated between Board Chair Julie Knight and city human resources. The annual salary range for the library director position is approximately $110,00 to $175,000, according to the city. Assuming negotiations are successful, Holt would replace Tod Colegrove, who took the position in 2019. Colegrove announced his resignation in June and his last day was scheduled to be Sept. 30. At their meeting last month, library trustees opened the position to internal candidates. On Thursday, they asked Holt several questions in a public interview. Holt talked about her background, growing up in Winnemucca and working as a library aide in the eighth grade. Holt worked for her college library as well. As assistant director of Humboldt County Library, Holt helped get a library branch open in the rural town of Denio, near the Oregon border. “It meant a tremendous amount to that community,” Holt said. The Carson library, however, has become home. Holt said the current staff has momentum. “Our staff is really starting to hit its stride,” Holt said. “I really value the work we get to do. Every day we come to work in a library is a good day. It’s really a gift.” The interview became a broader discourse on the importance of public libraries. Holt called the Carson library a “community within a community.” “It should always be about information access and the ability to have your quality of life improve,” Holt said. Trustee Sarena Nichols said public libraries remain a lifeline. “As a kid, that’s actually how I escaped the narrowmindedness of my community,” Nichols said. “The library taught me a love of learning about everything. I can’t even imagine a world without a library.” For information about the Carson City Library, visit https://carsoncitylibrary.org/
