By Miriam Meza –
New year, new staff members!
New year, new role, new events! The Aurora Public Library (APL) is kicking off the new year with a new staff member at the Santori Public Library of Aurora and the new ideas that come with her. We welcome Krista Danis, APL’s events and program coordinator. She started her new role December 27, 2018, and will be overseeing large-scale programs across all locations, including First Fridays events. From community partnerships to system-wide collaboration with departments across locations, Krista is committed to providing inclusive, innovative, and dynamic events and programs for our diverse Aurora community.
Krista Danis comes from the Eola Road Branch of the APL where she has served as the children’s services librarian and volunteer coordinator since December 2016. She expressed how thankful she is for having served in this role, because she learned much; and feels incredibly prepared to be in her new role. She learned not only how to plan and execute events for children, but how to keep a family-friendly environment in mind to engage all attendees, including parents and grandparents.
She said her role taught her how to be responsive to community needs and interests. She reflects on the many times parents would request specific programs for their children and she developed programming to meet those demands. She said, “The events took me outside my comfort zone, but I was willing to take risks outside of what I was familiar with to be responsive to the community.”
In addition, she said her former department was extremely supportive in teaching her ways to improve programs and allowed her to have space to brainstorm her event ideas, and provided an inspired environment to work in. She said, “They allowed me to learn, grow, and be creative.”
When asked what she is most excited about, Krista said she is really looking forward to the bigger picture beyond one location, one age group, and one department. She’s thrilled to be planning for the Aurora community as a whole, coordinating events that are appealing to the diverse community, and tying community events to APL. She foresees future events tying to the Kite Festival or Aurora Pride month. “I’m looking forward to seeing new and innovative programs come to life and the opportunity to provide exhibits that you would usually see at an art museum or performances that you’d see at a theater. This way we learn, grow, and experience new things together.”
Welcome, Krista! You can reach Krista Danis at kmdani@aurorapubliclibrary.org or 630-264-4145.
Miriam Meza is communications manager for Aurora Public Library.