As a resident of Ferndale and Oakland County for over 20 years, I've had the opportunity to build deep seeded roots within the community and this will allow me to help shape and support one of the great pillars of our community. I have served as an educator and administrator in higher education for more than 20 years and have been fortunate to contribute to and support the community at larger both in the classroom and throughout the region. My hope is to serve as a positive role model and a strong advocate for all.
If elected to the Ferndale Area District Library Board of Directors, one of my initiatives will be to elevate our inclusive and welcoming community by leveraging access to library resources and innovative programming under the leadership of the FADL staff. As a cornerstone of the community, the library welcomes highly diverse patrons and serves as a safe space for everyone. Furthermore, through shared governance and leadership with the library director, as a board member I will assist with developing a transparent plan to repair the physical infrastructure of the library.
Dr. Denise Coté is an accomplished academic librarian with twenty-five years of service at a large community college in suburban Chicago, where she specialized in open access publishing, electronic resources, and career education. Denise has extensive experience in teaching and learning, library budgets, and publisher licensing. She is running for the FADL board to expand the educational mission of the library and to improve the library's online offerings.
Aside from the perpetual issue of library funding, the top three issues facing libraries are the erosion of trust in information resources, the decline in reading across all age groups, and the politicization of library services and collections. As a board member, my focus will be on the library's educational mission, which will include critical thinking and problem solving for adults, and determining how we can best encourage reading and support readers. As a fellow librarian, I will strongly support FADL's librarians in their mission to serve all library users equally.
I am running for library board- to continue to serve an institution and community that has been so good to me and my family. I work as an elementary school principal, with literacy as a professional focus. I hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, masters degrees from the University of Dayton and the University of Michigan and an educational specialist degree (anticipated spring 2027) from Western Michigan University.
1. Using taxpayer resources wisely, sustainably and responsibly: As a board member, I will continue to support budgets that support strategic plan priorities
2. Ensuring all people are able to use the library: As a board member, I will continue to support outreach and inclusion efforts.
3. Understanding how patrons use (or want to use!) digital resources: As a board member, I will continue to listen carefully to the professional librarians' insights on collection development, including digital resources.
