The moment we open a book, we begin a journey that can last as long and extend as far as we choose. A story we read as a ten-year-old can be re-read at twenty, forty, sixty or eighty and mean something new each time. Books are a gift that keep on giving, and libraries are their home.
The best libraries establish themselves as community centres, engaging all sections of the community. They can be champions of education and inclusion. They can foster a love of literature and of creativity.
That’s easier said than done. It takes endless empathy and dedication, a love of the written word, a gift for communication and the patience of a saint.
It takes Sarah Williams.
On Friday April 26th Sarah will work her final day at Brynhyfryd Library. It will bring the curtain down on a career of sustained commitment and excellence that’s enriched countless lives.
Everyone’s going to miss her, everyone’s wishing her the happy retirement she’s earned. Here are some of the comments that have been shared with the People’s Library.
“In the years when Cae Rowland Community Garden was entering In Bloom, Sarah was a driving force behind the library getting involved. The Men’s Shed members built raised beds on the library grounds to the side of the building and Sarah was able to get different community members involved in tending the beds. Just one example of her wonderful contribution to the community.”
“Thank you for the book club and the knitting groups on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Thank you for never being too busy to help when I pop in asking for a book and can’t always remember the title. Have a wonderful retirement, Sarah.”
“All the best to you Sarah, thank you for always offering a warm welcome and good advice. I don’t know where you found the energy and imagination to do so many things so well, but I’m thankful that you did.”
“I’m very grateful for the support Sarah has given to different events that have taken place at Christ Well Church and the support she has given to newly arrived asylum seekers in the area. I hope her successor is equally community- minded. I will miss her very much.”
“So many people have benefited from Sarah’s community initiatives, and her reading groups have helped people of all ages find their voices and their love of literature. She is one in a million.”
“The workshops Sarah’s delivered, offering free access to Ancestry and Find My Past, have opened the door to family history for so many local people. By giving visitors free digital access to newspapers and magazines, and training them on the library’s tablets, she’s helped ensure people don’t get left behind, even if they don’t have online access at home.”
“Sarah has done more than anyone else to help my children fall in love with reading. More than their teachers, more even than me. She’s given them something that will stay with them all their lives.”
“Sarah has been the welcoming face of Brynhyfryd Library for as long as I can remember. She is kind and knowledgeable, she has always been positive and open to new ideas for groups for the community, and her Rhyme Time for the little ones was always superb. We all wish her a fabulous retirement but will miss her dearly.”
“Events at Brynyfryd Library are joyful and universally popular because Sarah is joyful and universally popular. Book readings and history talks are brought to life because of the wonderful warmth and sense of curiosity she’s created.”
“Sarah has been a major force for good in this community, going far above and beyond what is required of her in her role. From reading to the children at functions, to helping out at other community events she has been a willing volunteer for all seasons. She has led from the front in turning Brynhyfryd Library into a community hub and will be greatly missed. I wish her well for a long, relaxing and enjoyable retirement. She deserves it.”
Sarah Williams has redefined what can be achieved in a community role. She’s done it with generosity and self-effacing charm, and she’s done it while always remembering what libraries were created for. She’s nurtured a love of reading, learning and communicating among people of all ages. In the best possible sense, she’s done it by the book.
Thank you, Sarah. Thank you for everything.