By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Valemount Public Library is entering its next chapter in its 60-year history with new library director Kira Chalupa.
“I’ve been in libraries my whole life – I volunteered with them before I was legally allowed to work,” Chalupa said, recalling that she got her first paying gig at a library in her hometown of Grimshaw, Alberta when she was around 13 years old.
Chalupa studied Ancient and Medieval History at the University of Alberta before getting a Masters of Information – a type of library science degree – at Dalhousie University. Her work as a librarian has taken her to Thunder Bay, Ontario and, most recently, Vegreville, Alberta.
Having grown up in Grimshaw, which has a population of about 2,600 people, Chalupa is familiar with small-town dynamics. Still, the warm reception and tight-knit community was a pleasant surprise, she said.
“There are a few places my partner has been and he’s mentioned where we’re living or that I’m the new library director and they’re like, ‘We know, we’ve heard all about you,’” she laughed. “It’s kind of fun being in a small town again.”
Chalupa’s brother lives in Valemount, so she had visited a handful of times over the years. When she found out the library was hiring, Chalupa jumped at the chance.
While the logistics of selling her house in Vegreville and moving with her partner and their four pets – two dogs, and two cats – were complex, everything worked out.
“It was one of those opportunities that you just can’t pass up,” she said. “I’m not usually a big believer in [thinking] the universe has a path for you… but this was one of those moments where everything was perfectly lined up.”
Now that she’s in the mountains, Chalupa plans on hiking, camping and getting back into snowboarding in her free time. While the open skies of the Alberta prairies are beautiful, being nestled in between mountain ranges gives her a sense of calm, she said.
Chalupa’s smooth transition into living and working in Valemount is thanks in big part to the former library director, Wendy Cinnamon, and the rest of the library staff, she says.
“Wendy was here for 28 years… that’s a very significant legacy to follow up on,” Chalupa said. “She’s really great. She’s been super helpful with the transition and she’s done a lot of amazing things for the library, so hopefully I can do a good job with it too.”
Chalupa’s ambitions for the library include expanding its non-traditional collection – the part of the library’s collection that isn’t just books, such as snowshoes and birdwatching gear. Her long-term goal is to revise and implement the library expansion, originally conceived in 2013.
In any case, improvements to the library will be informed by community feedback, she said. That may mean surveys or circulating polls on social media in the future, but for now, she wants to listen to patrons and hear their priorities for the library.
“Libraries are very community-focused,” she said. “We can only do what the community wants – we’re not going to create a fantastic space that nobody’s ever going to use.”
In the meantime, Chalupa hopes to partner with more community organizations to create library programs. For example, the library has a partnership with the elementary school where a library assistant visits and teaches small crafts.
The library is also seeking new board members, and Chalupa invites interested Valemount residents to contact [email protected].
While she enjoys reading, what motivates Chalupa to work in libraries is their role as a community hub, she says.
“I really love how libraries create community,” Chalupa said. “Finding other people is a little less intimidating to me in the library than in other spaces.”
She added, “I’m pretty thrilled to be here and to learn about Valemount and the people who live here.”
