Gary Landeck is the new Director of the Atchison Public Library. He had been a lifelong resident of the Denver area.
Gary earned a major in English literature with a minor in history from Denver’s Metropolitan State College, and went on to receive his Master’s in library science at Emporia State University five years ago.
He was a reference librarian at Denver Public Library before coming to Atchison, and had previously been director of a Denver-area rock-climbing collections library. His interest in becoming a librarian was sparked about ten years ago.
“I was an accountant in my first career, ” Mr. Landeck explained, “and went back to college to get my English degree. I was taking a class in children’s literature, and had to check out lots of books from the public library.
“During the course of that class, I had an epiphany that I wanted to be a librarian.”
“My heart is really in public libraries, and I’m really excited to be director here,” he said. “I love the civic-mindedness of public librarians, and the staff here is no exception. I also like that public libraries are a natural gathering place where people come to be entertained, and see new books and DVDs. I really like how much the library is integrated into the community.”
Mr. Landeck says he plans no immediate changes at the Atchison Library, and just wants to build on the good work of the two previous directors, Diana Weaver and P.J. Capps.
“Right now, I just want to get acquainted with library patrons and community leaders to discover the community’s values and informational needs, and fill any gaps that might exist,” he said.
“I’m excited to be living in a smaller community for the first time in my life, and I’ve really enjoyed my short time here, meeting residents and looking forward to working with them.”
Patty Moore, Atchison Globe