Back in October, Lisa Knasiak was brought on as the River Grove Public Library’s director. Before that, she was the youth services librarian for the Broadview Public Library for a little over two years.
She also continues to serve on Brookfield Library’s board of trustees. Pioneer Press recently spoke to her about her new position at River Grove, as well as why she decided to become a librarian.
Pioneer Press: How did it feel when you found out you were going to be River Grove’s new library director?
Lisa Knasiak: I was really excited. I had been to the library and seen some of the things they’d started and was really exited to keeping doing what they’ve been doing.
Q: What kinds of things excited you?
LK: Well we’ve been revamping the website and we’ve made some major strides already. And this morning since 4 a.m. I’ve been working on the new newsletter, which we’re also updating.
Q: What would you say is your most important goal right now as you settle in?
LK: I think it’s really important to have communication with people in the community, especially to people who don’t really use the library. Communicating that the library is here for you. I want them to know libraries aren’t just repositories for books anymore. They’re information hubs with resources available for everyone. We’re also a place to gather. Libraries aren’t just palace to go to be quiet and study. Libraries today are vibrant and are very much a living organism.
Q: Where did you study to become librarian?
LK: I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign to get my masters of library and information science. Before that, I got my bachelor’s degree in children’s literature at DePaul University.
Q: Why did you want to become a librarian?
LK: When I was about 4 years old, I walked into my kitchen and I was upset because mom and my brother, who was 6 at the time, were talking about something in the newspaper. I wanted to know how to do that and I said, “I want to read it.” But I didn’t know how yet. It was my first realization that people other than adults could read.
And then I was really upset because my sister, who was 5, walked in said she knew how to read too. So at that point I was the only person in the house who didn’t know how to read. Later that day my mom started teaching me how to read.
Not too long after I started reading, my brother said there was a place where you could just go take out books and read. I didn’t believe him. So to show me he wasn’t making it up, we walked a few blocks over to our local library. It just amazed me that all this information was there before me and all I had to do was read it.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
LK: In my spare time I write. I’m actually part of the writers group that meets at the Tamale Hut Cafe in North Riverside. There are also some other things that I put on hold when I went to school that I want to pick up again. But the problem now is deciding between which of those hobbies I wants to pick up. I’m actually registering for a Spanish class, but right now I’m still really focused on easing into this new role.
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Q: What aspect of being a library director has surprised you the most since getting the position?
LK: You can watch you can observe someone doing this job but living it is entirely different. I do know that staff at River Grove is amazing, they’re so creative and so passionate and I feel truly lucky to have them.
I’ve also been working to get to know the community. River Grove is a pretty cool place and I’m just trying to meet the patrons and get a better feel for the area. Because you can know your job, know the library, but every community has it’s own culture and its own brand. And what I’ve seen so far at River Grove, I really like.