What happened to library CEO?

Re: Windsor library CEO retirement confirmed by staff memo, by Taylor Campbell, May 5

There has been much speculation about the disappearance of Kitty Pope, Windsor Public Library's (WPL) CEO of nine years.

After a recent meeting, she was incommunicado — no internet or cellphone availability. All inquiries met with silence. Where did she go and why? First, the meeting made no mention of her “retirement.” It was all about Chris Woodrow, acting-library CEO'S upcoming retirement. This would lead one to believe she made no decision to retire.

Second, there was an unspecified in-camera item from the following closeddoor meeting which may have been a source of consternation between her and some board members.

It is a known fact there are now those who support book banning sitting on the committee. It is an idea that would most certainly not fly with a progressive librarian such as Pope.

In his platitudes regarding an immediate hunt for a new CEO, councillor and library board chairperson Mark Mckenzie stated the modernizing of the library would not just focus on books.

May I refer to Pope's 2022 annual report which includes a page titled “Visit WPL and Discover we're more than Books”? It promotes an innovative marketing campaign, called “Off the Shelf ” featuring audiobooks, the WPL tool-lending library, news services from around the world, DIY databases, an extensive collection of selfhelp resources and more.

Pope recently shared with me news of real success which occurred during the height of the pandemic. Library staff that would have otherwise been idle were deployed to phone senior patrons at home and check in with them in a brief conversation.

This kind of outreach was clearly thinking outside of the box and likely served to boost the mental states of the membership while giving staff something positive to do. It was a win-win.

I wish Mckenzie luck in his impossible quest in the midst of this enigma shrouded in secrecy.

Brenda Weeks-clarke, Windsor