COLRAIN — Chelsea Jordan-Makely, the town’s new 38-year-old library director, has had two epiphanies in her life. And as is fitting for a librarian, both moments of clarity were prompted by books.
The first epiphany happened at 28, when, after reading “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler” by Italo Calvino, Jordan-Makely realized she wanted to become a librarian.
The second was this spring, when, a day after reading “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, she knew it was time to come home. While she grew up between Granville and Virginia, she spent much of her childhood in Heath on her uncle’s property, and always felt connected to the hilltowns.
“Books are sign posts to me,” Jordan-Makely explained. “There are many times in my life where I’ve gotten a clue about what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to be from my reading.”
Following the realization that it was time to settle in West County, Jordan-Makely looked for library jobs online, and saw an opening for a library director at Griswold Memorial Library in Colrain. The moment, she said, felt like fate.
“It was hairs-standing-up-your-arms,” Jordan-Makely said. “A calling.”
Before coming back to Colrain, Jordan-Makely spent many years away from the East Coast, dabbling in a variety of fields. She earned a literature degree in North Carolina and spent much of her 20s in Colorado, before moving to Tanzania and South Africa for about a year to work as a librarian. Upon returning to the U.S., Jordan-Makely moved to a town just outside Portland, Ore. Then came British Columbia, then Colorado again, and finally, this spring, Jordan-Makely moved to Colrain, renting an apartment in the town.
Having spent a great deal of time in libraries as a child and an adult, Jordan-Makely sees libraries as essential to towns, helping to bridge technology divides and provide a sense of community for residents. She became concerned with how libraries are funded after finishing her graduate degree, saying she had a tough time finding library work even after earning a master’s in library and information science. She found part-time work in multiple libraries, struggling to secure a full-time position.
“Libraries were hit really hard by the recession, and the age of austerity, and tax cuts,” Jordan-Makely said. “Jobs were in short supply.”
Jordan-Makely said she is grateful to have found a job as library director in Colrain, as was her original goal. She is drawn to the position of director in particular as she sees it as encompassing an array of roles: administration, shelving, customer assistance and more.
“You get to dabble in multiple areas concurrently,” she said.
The library has run several programs over the years for adults and children alike, including craft time and book clubs. Jordan-Makely said she plans to continue these programs — with the help of her predecessor, Betty Purington Johnson. And, knowing she is new to town, she plans to ask and survey the community to see what kind of activities they’d like to see held at the library, she said.
Just over a week has passed since Jordan-Makely started her new job. She has been enjoying getting to know the community, the board of trustees and Purington Johnson, and getting reacquainted with the picturesque West County hilltowns.
“You know, on the West Coast, there aren’t thunderstorms, and there aren’t fireflies,” she said. “I’m loving being here.”
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.