Carson City Library director gets raise after evaluation

Carson City Library Director Joy Holt received an above-expectations review at her annual evaluation by the Library Board of Trustees on Thursday, and she is excited about the future.

Holt told the Appeal on Friday her work at the library is a continuum.

“It’s not a flat line, but a constant ascension,” she said. “The process of improving this library and organization is iterative.”

She added, “Everything we do is building upon itself.”

Holt took over for Tod Colegrove last fall. She said before the evaluation, her annual salary was about $146,000. She is an at-will employee, and because of the positive review, she received a 3 percent raise.

Holt grew up in Winnemucca and worked for the Humboldt County Library before arriving in Carson City. Her annual evaluation included feedback from library employees, contributed anonymously, as well as a self-evaluation. The feedback from employees was positive, but Holt noted she is a direct person and can work on better communication at the individual level.

“People took the time to write things that were really positive and supportive but also honest,” she said.

Holt expressed admiration for the 15 employees at the library. She said her greatest accomplishment the last year was promoting from within and “empowering them to tap into their talent.”

“It was very fortuitous that these were the best candidates, and they were already here at the library,” she said.

Holt described how the team’s approach to programming and outreach is to find the best ways to serve community needs. For example, story time for toddlers and pre-K children has tripled in attendance in a year’s time, Holt said.

“It’s the team that’s been so passionate and committed to trying new things,” she said.

Holt pointed out the library’s summer reading challenge kicks off June 17. Last year, the community logged roughly 569,000 minutes of reading. The goal this year is 650,000 minutes, Holt said.

Holt said she loves Carson City and plans to stay long-term.

“I took this job with the intention of staying,” she said.

For information about the library, visit https://carsoncitylibrary.org/.