WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg Regional Library hosted a celebration of Betsy Fowler’s decades of service to Virginia libraries and she was presented a Virginia House Joint Resolution in her honor On Aug. 27.
Betsy Fowler had recently been working as the Williamsburg Regional Library Director and announced her retirement in September of last year.
The celebration opened with a toast by Sandy Towers, the new Williamsburg Regional Library Director, before guests were invited into the city council chambers for the rest of the program, which featured speeches from Towers; Board President of the Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation Randy Casey-Ruthland, Virginia Library Association Executive Director Lisa Vargas and Del. Chad Green.
“Each of us have been brought here by our connection to Betsy,” Towers said during the welcome. “A woman whose work has touched our lives in countless ways. The number of people who have gathered here today and the miles that you came is a true testament to her decades of work building relationships, fostering collaboration, and keeping libraries vibrant and relevant in this ever-changing world.”
“I’ve been asked to talk about libraries a lot in the last few years and the ways of which we pivot, evolve, and nurture our communities. The top three things I talk about is the way WRL immediately created wi-fi hot spots out of their bookmobiles and offered internet access to residents at the beginning of the pandemic,” Vargas recalled.
-
Toast to Fowler. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
Towers opens the celebration. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
(Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
Fowler accepting Joint Resolution 98 from Del. Chad Green and Sen. Danny Diggs. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily) -
Fowler and her family. (Jillian Appel/WYDaily)
“I share this because it’s a great visual image too. Likely all of you can just imagine an empty parking lot with a bookmobile in the middle and all these cars angled around it. That impact is important. Library people have known for a long time that not everyone can afford reliable internet access or that there are large parts of Virginia where reliable internet access isn’t even available. Betsy saw a problem and created a solution. That’s what she does,” she added.
“When Betsy made that pivot the library world took note. She was interviewed for magazine articles and asked to present a webinar for the public library association,” Vargas continued, saying she had lost count of how many libraries replicated Fowler’s system.
Del. Green and Sen. Danny Diggs presented Fowler with a copy of House Joint Resolution number 98, which was offered Jan. 23, commending Fowler on her achievements and efforts on the occasion of her retirement.
“I am deeply humbled and incredibly touched by this unexpected honor and by seeing so many of my friends and colleagues here today, many who I’ve known for years some for decades and decades,” Fowler said in closing. She thanked the library, those who put forward the resolution, as well as everyone who had supported her along the way.
“What started as a temporary job as a bookmobile driver in college became a lifelong passion and a 43-year career. I shape a life around public libraries and invaluable lessons learned within them. From libraries, I learned about the inherent goodness of people, the deep hunger people have for community and connection, the desire for knowledge and the striving for personal growth and expression. I learned that doing work that is hard and challenging, but meaningful and helpful is a key to a happy life,” Fowler continued.
Refreshments followed the presentation.
