Medfield library director Pam Gardner outlines vision, staffing and community programs

Pamela (Pam) Gardner, director of the Medfield library, told Medfield Musings that she came to the role after working as interim director and discovering she enjoyed both big‑picture planning and day‑to‑day problem solving. "I had kind of always thought that I would be interested in being a director," Gardner said during the interview.

Gardner described the library as a community hub staffed by a mix of full‑ and part‑time employees and teen pages. She told the show the library has 15 adult staff members and six teenagers who work as pages. Gardner said she reports directly to a six‑member elected board of trustees that sets policy for hours and other big‑picture decisions. "That's the board that I report to directly," she said, comparing their role to a school committee in structure though on a smaller scale.

Gardner emphasized the library’s programmatic variety — from story times and book clubs to author talks and craft classes — and said staff try small experiments before making larger, planned changes. She asked residents to use library services and support the Friends of the Library, which fund many programs and will hold its annual drive in the fall.