Q: Review 2025 — What were the successes and challenges in 2025?

Diane Kresh, Director of the Arlington Public Library: 

The successes and challenges are part of the same thing. The challenge was the new Administration was identifying content that they wanted to change to a different narrative. There is a real danger in agreeing to do that. But the success was this gave people in public institutions the opportunity to stand up for what they believed in. As librarians we are all interested in the truth and to change the narrative leaves people out of the story. People have a tendency to think if I give in now, this will go away in time. But that is foolish; you have principles and values. 

Last year the library had 4,200 library programs and 400 outreach events with 95,000 library patrons. But to me that’s just widgets. I’ve been in this business a long time, and to me what’s important is what does it mean to be a librarian, to work in a public institution. We’re more likely to think about values, stand up for who we are, making sure everyone feels welcome.

Q: Looking Ahead — What are the goals and challenges for 2026?

Kresh:  The first goal is to create a budget. The climate is not great, and the library receives all of its funding from the County. The Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL) provides funding  separately for the costs of our public programs.  

This year we will spend the entire year focusing on the 250th anniversary of our nation, on what it means for the community in many different aspects. It will focus on who we are, on where we’re going. It will be unusual for the library to release an entire year’s schedule of events around one theme. Our theme is Libraries, Liberties and the Pursuit of Happiness. We will be launching our website with that information in a few days.

As part of the celebration we will continue our Arlington Reads events, a program I established when I came 20 years ago, which has different themes with a particular resonance like climate change, the Constitution, immigrants. I look for things I think are interesting. This year’s theme focuses on cooking, food and culture — how we can see people for who they are.  We will have a pie contest explaining food and relating it to culture. Then on June 18 we will have an all day event across all our libraries celebrating the 250 years with music, food, games. A little bit of fun will be a map of the U.S. where people can put what they think about, or did, or ate in different locations around the country.

With regard to challenges I’m not a gloom and doom kind of person. I’m still excited about this job after 20 years. I have the kind of mindset that if something troublesome faces us, we’ll figure it out.

But if I had my way, we would have more public conversations. There don’t seem to be mechanisms available to allow that to happen.  People don’t get enough information to contribute meaningfully. People talk past one another. I’d like to find a way to change that.