We made it. It is a new year and with it come new opportunities to leave The-Year-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named behind as we collectively close a challenging chapter and work together for a new, brighter future. The same issues that existed just a day, a week, a month ago persist, but there is something different in the air – a renewed hope from the symbolic turning of the page into a new year – that invigorates us and drives us forward.

What will the year ahead hold for you? How will 2021 be different? As we continue to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, our staff is using the time of working at home to ask ourselves those very questions and work diligently on planning and continuing to take steps to center our organizational culture on our values of equity, empathy, and innovation. This season of rest calls us to be introspective and intentional about the path we are laying for the year ahead. Your Altadena Libraries have much in store; even with our building doors temporarily closed, we are pleased to offer virtual opportunities to connect with neighbors and ideas and will continue to adapt to the adventures the year will present us with. Keep scrolling and you’re sure to find something that sparks your curiosity and hope for a new year of Altadenans learning, growing, and thriving together.

As a staff this winter, we are diving into Adrienne Maree Brown's book Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds together, and as I read, I am reminded of the power of seemingly small acts that build to a larger impact. The importance of community has never been more apparent. We all have different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, but following a year of unrest and centuries of harm, I believe it is more critical than ever to set aside ego and learn to rely on our neighbors. Our future is only as bright and as safe as our community is connected. The months ahead may present us with even more surprising and unsettling circumstances, but I hope that through it, we can lean on one another in small and powerful ways. Wave to your neighbor as you walk by, drop off a meal, ask for support when you need it... love one another. We love Altadena and look to our collective future with hope and determination. I hope you will join us in embracing hope in 2021!

Nikki Winslow | District Director