Ameel will close the book on career

You know you have been instrumental in the community when you are given the key to the city.

This was the honor awarded to Jane Ameel, the director of the Waukesha Public Library, at Tuesday's Common Council meeting.

"I think that's very generous," Ameel said. "I was very appreciative that they're recognizing me, but really they are recognizing everybody associated with the library."

The mayor was looking forward to honoring Ameel.

"Jane has been fully committed to nurturing minds through reading and opened many lives with her collaborative communication style," Scrima said.

Ameel, 62, was given this honor in light of her recent announcement that she is going to retire in May.

"I've been thinking about (retirement) for a while and with my age and getting my last one off to college it seemed it was the time," said Ameel, the mother of three.

Before coming to Waukesha in 1984, Ameel, an Ohio native, ventured all across the Midwest searching for the one job that would stick, and a place in which she would eventually call home.

She found work in Chicago, Minneapolis and Fond du Lac, serving different roles within libraries, but when she spotted an advertisement looking for a library director in Waukesha, it sparked her interest.

When she landed the job, it finally gave her that opportunity to settle down.

"I made it my home," Ameel said. "I got married after that time, had three kids and now have a lot of ties to a great community. I didn't anticipate being here as long as I have, but I got to a certain spot in my life where I had a family and it's just been a wonderful run.

"We have a lot of opportunities here."

And while here, she has helped transform the Waukesha Public Library and made it one of the best around.

She was at the helm of three expansions and renovation projects in Waukesha, the formation of the CAFE (Catalog Access for Everyone) consortium of local libraries, the development of the library's public art program and the introduction of Waukesha Reads as well as other community collaborations.

For these reasons, the Waukesha Public Library was named the 2011 Wisconsin Library of the Year by the Wisconsin Library Association last month.

"It was a nice recognition for the staff, for the board and for everybody associated with the library," Ameel said. "It's a validation that we're doing a good job, because there are lots of excellent libraries in Wisconsin."

Ameel said she's most proud of helping it reach this status, but she is also proud of keeping the library relevant at a time when many have replaced books for personal computers, iPads and iPhones.

"There have been a lot of change," Ameel said. "Nobody had any idea in 1984, there would be so much technology. Every library has changed radically.

"When I first entered in the field, we were using old fashioned card catalogs in the early years and then the Internet exploded.

While some could say this has hurt attendance at libraries, Ameel said she knows libraries still are important.

"I think we are holding our own," Ameel said. "We make the Internet available to everyone. Lots of parents come and bring their kids, so we try to do a lot of pre-literacy things under 3 years old. We have built a pre-literacy center with over 100 learning activities.

"We know what a difference a library can make. I think it's going to go strong because just as it changed from 1988 to 2008, it's going to look different in 2018."

Paul Kasprowicz, president of the Waukesha Public Library Board of Trustees, and Karol Kennedy, the deputy director at the library, appreciates all that Ameel has done.

"Her capacity for innovation, creativity and teamwork is truly exemplary," Kasprowicz said.

"She's been a great leader," added Kennedy. "Jane has incredible integrity, great vision and a dedication to serving the needs of the community. She'll definitely be missed."

Ameel will miss this community.

"I'm going to miss the people a lot," she said. "There's never been a day that I didn't believe in what I was doing, which is providing an important service."

So what's next for the position and for Ameel?

As far as the position, Ameel said the Library Board was going to meet this week to begin figuring that out.

As far as Ameel, she's not sure what her future outside the realm of a library will be, but still has five months to figure out the rest of her story.

"I have been so busy with work and raising three kids that it's just time to take a deep breath," Ameel said. "My husband is already retired, but I'm just going to take a pause and figure out that next chapter."