Board Candidate

I believe that libraries are vital to the existence of strong, healthy communities. In a world that is tremendously impacted and polarized by constantly changing socio-political, economical and technological landscapes, libraries provide two critical community roles. First, libraries continue to provide a safe, neutral space that facilitates understanding and appreciation of diverse ideas and view points.

Second, libraries have also increasingly emerged as dynamic organizations that directly address critical needs in the community. While the needs vary tremendously from community to community, libraries have emerged as community leaders by their ability to identify and respond to community needs. A strong and united library staff force can truly make a difference in the lives of many Californians. California Library Association, provides a unified framework for all library staff to work together. I’m honored to be a candidate for the CLA Board of Directors.

Biography

Gayathri Kanth has more than 20 years of library experience. She has been the Assistant Director of the Palo Alto Library since May 2016. Her primary duties include directing, developing, and coaching a 65 person Public Services team, as well as overseeing five libraries. She is also a Palo Alto City appointed Board of Director of the Mid Peninsula Media Center that serves the communities of Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Los Altos and Mountain View.
 
Prior to this, she was the Community Librarian of the Cupertino Library, the busiest library in the Santa Clara County Library District. Her primary duties, which began on October 28, 2013, included planning, direction and coordination of all operations of the Cupertino Library including: 50+ staff, a 54,000 square foot building, 368,000 volume collection with 2.7 million circulation per year and 4.2 million budget. Some of her successful projects include the Cupertino Library 10th Anniversary celebration attended by 4300+ people, hosting a very successful all-night Teen Hack-a-thon event at the library, revamping S4 (Super Summer Science Searches) into a STEAM based yearly activity, and partnering with Bluelight Cinemas and Cupertino Library Foundation to offer movies and plays to the community. Gayathri was also part of the executive planning group of the city’s Master Plan project which includes an expansion of the library’s Story Room.
 
Prior to Cupertino, Gayathri was a Community Librarian at the Saratoga Library, a Supervising Librarian of Adult and Teen Services at the Cupertino Library, a system wide Collection Development and Second Level Reference Librarian, and a Teen Services Librarian at the Cupertino Library. She also previously worked for the Santa Clara City Library and the Mountain View Public Library. Gayathri was a 2010 Fellow of the California Eureka Leadership Institute.
Gayathri’s husband Krishna works for EBay. She is also the proud mother of a Naval Officer Vikram Kanth, who is currently stationed at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.