Fenton joins Whistler from North Vancouver City Library
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is pleased to announce the Whistler Public Library Board of Trustees has appointed Mikale Fenton as the director of Whistler Public Library (WPL).
“The Whistler Public Library is a special and unique place in our community. The WPL Board was searching for someone who could continue to build upon the work of our former Library Director, Elizabeth Tracy.” says Mike Walsh, Chair of the WPL Board. “There is no doubt in our minds we found the right person in Mikale Fenton who has all the experience and skills we were looking for and will be an outstanding leader and library director.”
Fenton joins Whistler Public Library from North Vancouver City Library (NVCL), where she was the manager of Public Services. Recent projects included implementing the libraries’ pandemic response as well as launching their digital learning space.
Prior to this, she was the Head of Community, Program and Service Development, where she worked to strengthen the relationship between the libraries and stakeholders such as municipal government, local First Nations, the School District. She was one of the primary leads responsible for the NVCL’s priority to honour Indigenous perspectives in library programs and services.
Fenton holds a Master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Non-Fiction / Professional Writing from the University of Victoria.
“I’m really excited Mikale Fenton is Whistler Public Library’s new director,” says Mayor Jack Crompton, “Her experience will be a huge benefit to the library, the RMOW as well as the broader Whistler community.”
“My family and I are thrilled to join the Whistler community. I have been an admirer of Whistler Public Library’s innovative approach to service development for many years. My first priority as director will be to listen and learn from WPL’s outstanding team of staff, trustees and community members, and look for ways to apply my skills and experience to help us continue to grow together,” says Fenton.
Outgoing director Elizabeth Tracy had been leading WPL since 2012 until moving on to take on new leadership responsibilities with the Village of Pemberton. She had moved to Whistler from the Wilkinson Public Library in Telluride, Colorado.
“I’d like to thank the management team at the WPL for providing interim leadership as acting directors over the last few months,” says Ted Battiston, General Manager of Corporate and Community Services, “Elizabeth certainly deserves a great deal of credit for building strong foundations at the WPL, but I’d also like to recognize the work of the current WPL managers who have really stepped up to bridge the time until we could welcome Mikale to her new role as library director.”
Fenton started in the director role on November 7.
For more information, visit whistler.ca/library.
About the Whistler Public Library
Whistler Public Library isn’t just a library–it’s proud to be Whistler’s Living Room. Founded in 1986, the Whistler Public Library is located in the heart of Whistler Village. Housed in an environmentally-efficient, award-winning building, the Library boasts a collection of more than 50,000 books, DVDs, audiobooks and video games. Everyone from newborns to adults are welcomed here with weekly programs on offer for every age. Whether you are new to the community, a visitor or local, the Library is seen as a first point of contact, a meeting place, a refuge from the storm and a home away from home.
The library is governed by a Board of Trustees and funded primarily by the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Public Library Services Branch of the provincial Ministry of Education.
