Duncan Library Welcomes New Branch Manager

It was a week of devastating downpours, but that didn't dampen Pat Ryckman's spirits as she stepped into the role of branch manager at Duncan Library on Sept. 6.

"Everyone's been very lovely," she beams. "We seem to have a fantastic staff, and I've met lots of families and patrons and a couple of the Friends of Duncan Library officers. I'm excited about all that enthusiasm I feel out there."

Ryckman encountered that enthusiasm on her very first day, as she helped a young boy find a book on paper airplanes for a school project.

"Lo and behold, he was back yesterday and he was telling us about the airplane he had made and how far he flew and it made me think, 'Here I am, back in a public library and it's a great place to be!'"

A recent D.C.-area transplant from North Carolina, Ryckman brings a wealth of experience to the branch, having recently volunteered at the University of Michigan Library while her husband was completing a fellowship there. She has worked in both private and public schools as well as public libraries in the Carolinas.

Ryckman is a fan of children's literature, so she knew she'd landed in the right place when she saw a parade of strollers arrive for on her first day.

"I love children's literature and I always have," says the mother of three grown children, one of whom is a librarian married to a librarian. "I enjoyed reading to my children and I still enjoy the illustrations and the artistry that goes into a picture book, so I'm excited to see the really strong children's programming going on here."

Ryckman is also curious to see what more can be done for the library's adult readers and beseeches the community to come forth with ideas.

"I have some ideas for other things we might want to get involved in that have worked well in some other libraries I've worked at," she says. "But, you know, I'm the new person and it's not my library; it's the community's library. It's rooted in the neighborhood and responsive to what the community is interested in."

To that end, the new manager plans to work closely with the Friends of Duncan Library and encourages readers to pop in and introduce themselves or simply send her an email at pryckman@alexandria.lib.va.us.

Should you stop by, you might want to try the nonfiction section first.

"The first two books I checked out were on the history of Alexandria," she reveals. "I have a master's of history, so that's one of my interests, and it's wonderful to be in such a historic town."