Are you a Minnesota resident with a passion for libraries, and in particular for the work of Friends of the Library? Serving on the board of the Minnesota Association of Library Friends may be just the enriching experience you've been looking for. Email us any time at info@mnlibraryfriends.org to learn details.
Barbara A. Beltrand, MLS, MBA, CPA began her work journey doing “book work” in her father’s business. Not being a numbers person, she graduated from Macalester College with a double major in English and Anthropology, and quite naturally moved into a master’s program in library science. 4
With a dearth of librarian employment opportunities, she worked at a socialist-feminist publishing house and quite unnaturally (remember, not a numbers person) moved into a master’s program in accounting. Many years working in audit firms as a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and Minnesota and always a teacher (adjunct at Northeastern in Boston, MA and a community faculty member at Metropolitan State University, MN) led her to working as a full-time academic at Metro from 2009 to 2023. She is deeply indebted to her first accounting teacher who kindly mentored her into the accounting profession AND asked her to teach “Accounting 101” – before she even sat for the CPA Exam!
Beltrand retired from teaching on June 30, 2023 but continues to maintains a small client pool of nonprofit entities.
Sheila DeChantal is a long-time resident of Brainerd, and has served as president of the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library for nearly a decade. Her day job – event and promotions director for a large catering company – has instilled in Sheila a skills set that serves her extraordinarily well in her role at The Friends. Among other initiatives, she is a key driver behind the group's Wine & Words author gala, as well as the Friends’ Books, Burgers & Brews book club partnership with Brainerd area restaurants. Sheila previously volunteered her time and expertise on the MALF board in 2015-16.
Janet Eaton is a native of Columbia Heights. After a long career as a commercial insurance underwriter and insurance agent, principally in the Pacific Northwest, she moved back to Anoka County in 2005. Fond memories of her childhood library steered Eaton to membership and leadership roles within the Friends of the Anoka County Library – a regional Friends group that supports the libraries in Circle Pines, Coon Rapids, Blaine, Fridley, Ham Lake, Anoka and St. Francis. Over the past five years, Eaton has served as secretary and, most recently, treasurer of that dynamic group.
Loretta Ellsworth is the author of five books, including four young adult novels. Her adult debut, Stars Over Clear Lake, is an historical fiction romance set during World War II. It won Ellsworth a host of honors, including ALA’s Notable Book designation, the Midwest Bookseller’s Choice Honor Award, and the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award (NEMBA).
Ellsworth is a former teacher, and holds a master’s degree in writing for children from Hamline University. She is a regular judge of the Minnesota Book Awards, and also volunteers with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Ellsworth has been involved with her local Friends of the (Lakeville) Heritage Library for fourteen years. Eleven years ago, she pioneered OneBook, OneLakeville, a hugely successfully community reads program which she continues to chair for the Friends today.
Ed Fagerlund is a retired economist from Stillwater. He appreciates how libraries help citizens, how Friends groups help libraries, and how MALF helps Friends groups. Ed is intimately familiar with MALF’s mission and work, having already spent one term on our board (about a decade ago). Moreover, he served as organization treasurer in 2012-2013 – a key leadership post he returned to in 2021. Before retirement, Ed’s diverse career in his field included time as a Peace Corps volunteer at an Ecuador credit union, and teaching economics in Kansas and Minnesota. His financial acumen will be a huge boon to MALF operations.
Karen Jacowitz first became involved with the Friends of the Moorhead Library as a book sales volunteer nearly 15 years ago. As so often happens, this initially modest commitment to the cause grew and grew. Karen joined the Friends board in 2011, and is now co-director of the organization’s perennially popular book sales. As she herself can attest, given her personal entry point with The Friends, book sales cannot function without a dedicated volunteer workforce. Unsurprisingly, then, her role has organically grown to encompass volunteer recruitment and training. Beginning in 2021, Karen assumed the mantle of group president - and the still further duties that come with it.
Madeline Jarvis is currently director of the Two Harbors Public Library. She holds a BA in Sustainable Community Development from Northland College and an MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa.
Madeline is active in United for Libraries and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. She is also co-author of All Ages Welcome: Recruiting and Retaining Younger Generations for Library Boards, Friends Groups, and Foundations (ALA Editions, 2020). She and her family live in Duluth and love exploring Minnesota: both the great outdoors (with so many beautiful state parks) and the great indoors (with so many amazing public libraries)!
Susi McCune joined the Friends of the Isanti Area Library in 2006, and stepped into the president role the very next year. While this community is too small to claim a dedicated East Central Regional Library branch, Susi and her colleagues played a formative role in the establishment of an outreach library in a conference room of Isanti City Hall in 2009. It continues strong today, and Friends' support is instrumental to that success. Among other fundraising efforts, Susi is a driver behind FIAL’s annual book sales. In a first for Friends anywhere, this group moved their growing event from a volunteer’s home to the town bowling alley in 2019.
Beth Nienow is a retired reference librarian with over 30 years of work experience in academic and public libraries from North Dakota to Tennessee. She currently sells books online to raise money for the Friends of the Rochester Public Library and volunteers with several organizations and boards, including the Rochester Music Guild, Choral Arts Ensemble, Rochester Public Library Foundation, AAUW, and the Plainview Area History Center.
Jim Weygand is deeply invested in public libraries and other public causes in the southwest Twin Cities metro. Although a (retired) semiconductor process engineer by trade, residents of Carver County will know Weygand best as a past City Council member and Mayor of Carver. He recently finished serving nearly a full decade on the Library Board of Carver County Library. Weygand is currently President of the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Trustee and Advocates division, and a dedicated member of the Minnesota Library Association board.