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Christian County welcomes new library director; outlines programs, maintenance priorities
Summary
Will Blydenberg, new director of the Christian County Library system, introduced himself and outlined priorities including outreach events, a major facilities maintenance plan, improved transparency, and plans to support teen programming and partnerships across county libraries.
Will Blydenberg, the Christian County Library's new director, introduced himself to the commission and described initial priorities for the county's four library branches and forthcoming programming.
Blydenberg said he has worked in public and academic libraries and has been in the county for about two months. He outlined recent library activity: a successful library card sign-up month in September that produced 550 new cards; an outdoor concert series rotating through branches; teen programming (including Dungeons & Dragons) and a "monster hunting" children's event; partnerships with Master Gardeners and other local groups; and interest in expanding use of library meeting space for community groups.
On facilities, Blydenberg said he is assembling a major maintenance plan for the system to address flooring, HVAC, and other needs across the Ozark and Nixa branches and to set maintenance priorities for the next 20–30 years. He asked the commission to consider maintenance funding in upcoming budgets and said the library is preparing state reporting and budget documents as part of the normal cycle.
Commissioners and Blydenberg discussed recent controversies around board selection and content; Blydenberg said his approach is to "operate in good faith," emphasize respectful engagement and increase transparency. He noted the library published a sunshine-law page and that the system is seeking to rebuild communication with the public.
Blydenberg also announced a new Nixa branch manager hire and invited county leaders to use library meeting rooms for community events. Commissioners said they appreciated the library's outreach and encouraged continued cooperation on facility maintenance and programming.
Why it matters: The library system serves four branches across the county and supports education, public meeting space and youth programming. The director requested attention to capital maintenance needs and invited partnerships with county departments and community groups.
Next steps: Blydenberg said the system will complete required state reports and proposed maintenance plans; commissioners said they will consider maintenance priorities during the 2026 budget process.
