New Utah State Librarian Emphasizes Promotion, Rural Services and Team Building

Kara Rothman, Utah’s State Librarian, said the Utah State Library will focus on promoting libraries statewide, rethinking rural services and building a cohesive team to support local library directors.

Rothman, who said she recently moved to Utah after living in Massachusetts, praised the agency’s interim staff for keeping operations running and described her leadership style as "a leader from behind." She told hosts the library’s development team provides daily consultation, training and funding help to public library directors.

On funding, Rothman explained the Community Library Enhancement Fund (CLEF), the state grant distributed annually by the legislature to recertified public libraries based on population and budget; CLEF dollars may be used for collections, certain minor capital work (including ADA compliance) and technology upgrades. She also described federal IMLS grants the state administers as competitive awards with multi-year timelines.

Rothman said promotion and marketing are priorities: "One of the goals I had coming into the job was to help promote libraries, period," she said, naming Amanda Rock as staff who leads social media campaigns to highlight library services beyond books.

On rural services, Rothman said the State Library is exploring a "menu of rural services" and new approaches to bookmobiles because the vehicles are expensive to maintain. "This is a huge priority for us right now," she said, adding that sustaining access for small communities remains central to the agency’s mission.

The interview closed with Rothman reaffirming the State Library’s support to small libraries and its intent to continue expanding services across Utah.

The recording ends with hosts thanking Rothman and noting she will return for future episodes.