TRAVERSE CITY ---- Metta Lansdale knows she has a tough act to follow.
Lansdale, who replaced longtime Traverse Area District Library director Michael McGuire after his retirement in September, is up for the challenge.
"Traverse City has always been attractive to me. When Mike announced his retirement, I said that is the job I want," said Lansdale, director of the Royal Oak Public Library before accepting the position in Traverse City.
"I threw my hat into the ring before the job was even posted," said Lansdale, who took over the director position on Nov. 1.
Lansdale is hoping to use her experience as library director in Royal Oak and prior to that at the Chelsea District Library, to benefit the Traverse area library system, including branch locations in East Bay and Kingsley and member libraries in Fife Lake, Interlochen and Old Mission Peninsula.
If Lansdale's track record is any indicator, the Traverse Area District Library can look forward to some positive changes under her direction.
In the two years under Lansdale's guidance, the Royal Oak Public Library experienced a 60 percent increase in visitors in 2008, followed by a 23 percent increase in the first nine months of 2009.
As the director of the Chelsea District Library for nine years, she transformed a small village library into a state-of-the-art-district library for the 21st century.
Lansdale says she is more than ready to take on whatever challenges she will face while the Traverse Area District Library is under her direction.
"There is already so much that is wonderful with this system, it is important to move forward without losing what is already in place," Lansdale said.
Lansdale says she is impressed by the library and what it has to offer, including the Sight and Sound Center, the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the Grand Traverse Law Library and the genealogy collection.
"I bet people don't realize the scope of our collection. We will have to do something about that," Lansdale said.
She is looking forward to working with the library's board of trustees to set an agenda for her tenure in Traverse City.
"I would love to have the community embrace its district branches and establish a more encompassing identity, recognizing the strength of each branch," Lansdale said.
Lansdale says she has her hands full right now, learning about the needs of each community served by the library and meeting the staff at each location.
"Traverse City is truly a wonderful community. Everyone has been really warm and welcoming," Lansdale said.
The Traverse Area District Library Board of Trustees will host a public reception to meet the new library director from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 13, in the Library Atrium, 610 Woodmere Avenue. Light refreshments will be served.
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