Library Staff Spotlight

Foundation Newsletter Winter 2022 Spotlight

Tricia Lee, Assistant Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Development

Greetings! I’m Tricia Lee, Sno-Isle Libraries Assistant Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Development. I started working at Sno-Isle Libraries about three and half years ago after moving here from Colorado. Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team works to embed principles and practices of EDI into the fabric of Sno-Isle Libraries and the customer experience. I also work with our Talent Development Department providing learning and growth experiences to the organization. I’m incredibly fortunate to combine my passions of racial equity, social justice, facilitation, training, and libraries every day in my work. I appreciate the small and big moments when we move the needle toward a more equitable and inclusive world.

I have worked in libraries for over thirty years and much of that time has been dedicated to EDI work. My first memory of the library as a child was visiting our small neighborhood West Slope Community Library in Portland Oregon. I remember secretly creating book displays in the library by placing my favorite books face out on the top shelves (this was before merchandising was a thing in libraries). In my teen years, my family relocated from Portland Oregon to the mountain community of Evergreen, just west of Denver, Colorado. I struggled to fit in, and the library was a refuge that gave me access to a world that was bigger and more diverse. In fact, I spent so much time in the library, I was offered a job at my middle school library stamping date due slips (yes, paper date due slips!), typing cards for the card catalog (remember those?), and shelving books. I was hooked and continued working in libraries for the rest of my life in so many different roles.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time at home with my family, including my spouse, three kiddos, ages 8, 10, and 13, and Jupiter, our Siberian Husky. Some little-known facts about me are that:

• I sang in a band in college, took singing lessons for a few years, and still love belting out songs in my car.
• I love exploring social media platforms on all things art, fashion, music, and design.
• My first date with my spouse was at a corn maze and we have a tradition of visiting a corn maze/pumpkin patch every year since then. The tradition we started 19 years ago is now shared with our kids and extended family.