On Valentine’s Day, Erin Campbell received a special gift: an employment offer from the Cedar Rapids Public Library.  And she accepted it.

For the Director of the Wellman-Scofield Public Library, the opportunity to move away from her hometown is bittersweet.

“I’m very conflicted,” she said Wednesday, just two days before her final day at the library on March 10.  “It was definitely a huge decision.  And yeah, I feel very sad, but also excited to start this new chapter.”

Campbell’s departure occurs just as the library will begin a significant construction project that will double its space, an ambition the library has had for years finally brought to fruition under Campbell’s direction.  The winning of a $632,860 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation last fall allowed the library to initiate construction this spring.

“I’m 100% confident that [the expansion] is in great hands,” Campbell said.  “I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t know it was going to be in good hands and was going to be executed in the way that I thought it would.  I think it’s going to turn out beautifully.”

Replacing Campbell as Director is Carrie Geno, who currently serves as Assistant Director.  The library board confirmed her appointment on March 7.

“It’s not something that I originally thought that I was going to do,” Geno said.  “But I’m very excited to step into the role.  I’m excited to see this expansion come to life and just see the library grow.”

As Campbell and Geno worked together on plans for the library’s expansion, their shared vision makes for a more seamless transition.

“I played a role in writing the grant and have been part of working with the architects and all of that up to this point,” Geno said.  “So I feel very comfortable stepping in and continuing the project.”

Geno’s new role will see her move from part-time to full-time, so patrons will see her more often at the library.  She will also take on more executive responsibilities.

“It’s going to be great.  She’ll do a wonderful job,” Campbell says of her successor.

As for Campbell, her role at the Cedar Rapids Public Library will be as a Programming Specialist; she’ll work with a team to plan all the programs, for all ages, at the library.  

“I really love programming,” she said.  “That’s one of my favorite things to do here.”

“This has been my hometown forever, and it still will be,” Campbell added, reflecting on her life in Wellman.  “I’m just going somewhere else for a little while.”

Those wishing to visit Campbell while enjoying the amenities of Cedar Rapids might congratulate her with a honey cinnamon latte.  Those wishing to congratulate Geno here in Wellman might surprise her with a chocolate chai.

“It’s going to be a new adventure,” Geno says, “but I’m excited for it.”