08/25/2026
Our small library is doing big things!! Congratulations Marisa and staff!
I’m excited to finally share an opportunity that I feel incredibly honored to have received!
Earlier this summer, I was contacted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and invited to attend a national convening created specifically for small and rural libraries. Only 150 library directors from across the country were selected using Public Libraries Survey data—and I was fortunate to be one of them, representing Edgeley Public Library & Bookmobile and our community in Reno, Nevada.
The sessions will focus on successful grant writing, library spaces and design, children’s literacy, literacy beyond books, building strong community partnerships, and—maybe the part I’m most excited about—returning home and putting what we learn into action.
This opportunity also comes at a pretty special time for me, as I recently celebrated four years at the library on August 16. Over those four years, our library has grown in so many ways—not just in the number of programs we offer, but in the partnerships we’ve built, the people we’re reaching, and the ways we continue to serve our community beyond the walls of the library.
Being selected as one of 150 directors is certainly an honor for me, but I also see it as recognition of the work happening right here in our small, rural community. Our statistics, programming, outreach, partnerships, and community involvement helped put Edgeley Public Library & Bookmobile on that national radar—and I am incredibly proud of that.
So, if you notice I’m missing from the library for a few days, I have a pretty good excuse. 😊 I’ll be in Reno learning “all things small libraries,” filling a notebook with ideas, asking lots of questions, and probably already planning what we can try when I get home!
I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and for a community that continues to support our library, our bookmobile, our programs, and sometimes even my crazy ideas. This opportunity may have my name on the invitation, but it represents all of us. So thank you!
— Marisa Ostendorf
Library Director
Edgeley Public Library & Bookmobile