Sherry Scheline, Vice President

Donnelly Public LIbrary District, Donnelly, ID


Professional Background

I am a graduate of Northwest University with a Behavioral Science degree. I became an accidental librarian in 2017 when we formed a new library district. I am the Director of a library with one of the highest per-square-foot usages in the state of Idaho, and my area of expertise is doing a lot with a little. We run an after-school program daily and a full-day summer camp called Camp Library. As the library director, I wear many hats and also serve as the program director, teacher, janitor, and tech supervisor.  Tech is not my area of expertise, but it is a lot of fun, and I try to make activities joyful and exciting. I believe the most essential part of any community is the library, the anchor that serves as the great equalizer. Headshot of Sherry Scheline.
 
In 2023, I was named an ARSL Innovator of the Year and the Idaho Out-of-School Network After-School Champion. I have spoken at the ARSL conference on three occasions and once virtually. I have addressed my State Legislature to fight against damaging library legislation. I have had the opportunity to speak at the Power Up Summit for educators and the Idaho Library Association and provide a keynote address at ALA Lib Learn X.  Emory & Henry University classified me as one of the nation's experts on censorship.
 
I have previously served as Director and am now Vice President of the Idaho Digital Consortium, the largest consortia of small and rural libraries, which have co-op membership agreements with Overdrive for Libby services. I had the opportunity to work with Overdrive to develop a reciprocal lending agreement to connect all of Idaho to digital services. 
 
What inspired you to get involved with the board?

Friends! It was the encouragement of my friends, but really, friendship is what ARSL is. Networking and relationship building are a huge part of the organization. At the Springfield, MA conference in 2024, I was approached by a librarian who thanked me for inspiring her to apply for the director job at her library because of my encouragement.

 

"I love to cheer people on. I want librarians to know I have their back."

I would like to see ARSL members better equipped and ready to fight censorship legislation in their respective states. As their board representative, I drive our organizational focus on supporting, encouraging, and equipping members for these battles.  

 
Why is the mission of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries important to you? 
My library is 1,024 square feet, with a budget of less than $80,000.  Nearly two-thirds of libraries in America serve communities like mine, libraries that do not have the money to cover the services they need or the space to offer big programs. Libraries that have solo librarians or work with a minimal staff. I feel the pain and also share the joy, but I believe that the greatest threat to democracy is censorship.  I think rural and small libraries are disproportionately impacted by legislation across America designed to ban books and paralyze public libraries. They are not always fairly represented, and my goal is to make their issues heard.

I want ARSL to continue to be at the table in BIG ways, not small ones. I want us to be leading the fight for the Freedom to Read. I believe rural and small libraries are under attack and do not have the resources right now to defend themselves appropriately.  We need to work together to find a more connected strategy to preserve libraries.

 

What are your favorite library programs and books or genres?

Hosting and experiencing all the joy that comes from our summer program Camp Library and our Dragon Readers after-school club each week.

My favorite genre is historical fiction. Favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl, Kate DiCamillo, J.K. Rowling, Mo Willems, Kristin Hannah, Anthony Doerr, Harper Lee, and Truman Capote. My favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. 

 

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