Waukesha Library Director is Retiring

Library Director Jane Ameel is moving on after nearly 28 years with the Her retirement is affective May 1.

“I think 28 years is long enough for the city to have one library director,” said Ameel during a phone interview on Wednesday. “… It just seemed like the right time.”

Since Ameel started at the library in the 1980s, there have been big changes. The building itself has gone through additions and facelifts, but the library’s collection has changed as well. When Ameel started at the library, it was all about books and a few audio records.

“Computers just exploded,” Ameel said.

The technology changes have forever altered the way Waukesha residents seek their information.

“It is just a whole different world,” she said.

Ameel tried to give the Waukesha Library Board enough time to find her replacement before she left her position in the city. The board will meet Tuesday to discuss the next steps, she said.

In the meantime, it is going to be the people that Ameel will miss, including library board and staff, partnering agencies and the community members who frequent the library.

“I am going to miss so much,” Ameel said.