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DOWAGIAC — After more than 35 years of curating a treasure trove of tales for the communities across the country to enjoy, Tom Shilts is embarking on a brand new adventure in the Grand Old City. Shilts has spent the past month settling into his new role as library director for Dowagiac District Library. 

“Dowagiac is a nice place,” he said. “I knew almost nothing about this part of the state. It is a nice town, the storefronts are in great shape and there are lots of opportunities.”

Shilts has worked in libraries for many years, most recently at Bellaire Public Library. Prior to that he was a youth services librarian at the Okemos branch of Capital Area District Library. 

Shilts said his transition to the library has been smooth thanks to the work of the library staff

“The staff has done a great job keeping the services and programming going,” Shilts said. “I have been very impressed. “

Coming from his most recent stop in Bellaire, a small village in northwest Michigan, Shilts said he was searching for something a little bit bigger with more opportunity and Dowagiac checked both boxes.

“One of the great things about working in a standalone library like this is you can be more nimble,” he said. “You just have your one library and can make decisions in a more streamlined way.”

With extensive experience as a youth services librarian, Shilts is looking forward to helping the library grow its youth and toddler offerings. The library held its first-ever Toddler Story and Play Time Thursday, where Shilts will host a story and play time at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays designed for children one to three years old.

“We offer a nice slate of programming for every age group but nothing for ages 1-3, so I think this will help address that,” he said.

According to Shilts, libraries are important “destination” spaces in their communities with a variety of free resources available.

“There is nowhere you can go where you can go and not have to spend money,” he said. “Here you can come in, don’t have to buy coffee or dessert to relax and read. It’s a great way to connect with people.”

Shilts looks forward to learning more about his patrons and the Dowagiac community. He applauded the recent expansion and renovations, including the new study and conference rooms. He believes the library is equipped to serve the community.

In a small town, [libraries] are sometimes the office away from the office. They fill a lot of roles,” he said. “I believe that we are here to provide what people are interested in. We will try to keep the collection as balanced and fair as possible in a way that represents everyone. Everyone pays for it, so it is here for everyone to use.”