Dear City of Austin and Mower County Residents,

I’ve been the director of the Austin Public Library since 2003. My last day is Dec. 14. I accepted a new job in Mankato supporting libraries. I’ve loved working at the Austin Public Library, and I am as sad to go as I am excited about the new opportunity.

Libraries are really the people who work in them and for them. The shelves of books are just one of the tools the staff use to solve problems and improve lives. It has been an honor to work with such dedicated city and county colleagues, both within our libraries and across departments. They are a cooperative, forward-thinking, responsible, hard-working team.

I have loved working closely with other local organizations. We have had big and small projects with the schools, arts organizations, the Hormel Historic Home, and of course the Mower County Historical Society, to name just a few. Together we’ve been able to accomplish far more for our community than we could have done acting on our own.

But the very best part of working at Austin Public Library is helping people get their important work done. I’ll never forget helping a lady open the email attachment that contained the first photo of her first grandchild. I’ve helped with hundreds of government forms, recommended thousands of easy chapter books, and made countless interlibrary loan requests. Each time is important, because each time it helps a person. And I never get tired of being introduced to an out-of-town visitor as “my friend, the librarian.” Great moments like these happen every day in the library.

Thank you, citizens, for your strong support and use of the Austin Public Library. You make it a busy, vibrant place; full of ideas, experiences, and community connections. I wish you and your library a bright future of experimentation, fun, learning, and growth. I will miss you.

Sincerely, Ann Hokanson

(Nearly former) director of the Austin Public Library