Staunton hires new library director

Sarah Skrobis has been named the director of library services for the Staunton Public Library and will succeed Ruth Arnold, the current director who will retire at the end of June after 26 years of service.

Skrobis has more than 10 years of career experience in various roles in library services, first working in youth services in Pennsylvania, and then managing a library branch in North Carolina, before working locally for the Augusta County Library in Fishersville.

For the past six years, Skrobis has served as the adult services and acquisitions librarian at the Augusta County Library. There, she manages the annual materials budget; coordinates adult programs and classes; carries out collection development duties for the library and four remote locations; and serves on the library’s technology, managerial, executive and hiring committees in an advisory capacity. She also recently organized annual staff training for Augusta, Staunton and Waynesboro library employees.

Skrobis received an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Anthropology and Women’s Studies, and later gained a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to serve the City of Staunton and its people,” Skrobis said. “When I think of Staunton, I think of a vibrant city whose residents really take pride in the community that they have helped cultivate. I’m excited to see how we can harness that same enthusiasm at the library as we move forward, while also honoring its tradition of being a community center and place of learning that welcomes everyone.”

Before becoming a librarian, Skrobis served two terms of national service through AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity. Skrobis said working side-by-side with low-income families constructing more than two dozen homes in three states helped her to realize the importance of serving her community and extending growth opportunities to people from all walks of life.

“I believe that public libraries have a similar opportunity to lend a hand and allow people a chance to improve their quality of life, so I will be bringing that same dedication to service to the Staunton Public Library when I start in June,” she said.

When she’s not working, Skrobis helps to manage a small, commercial vegetable farm. She also takes every opportunity to read, knit, hike and travel. In between her time at the Augusta County Library and stepping into her new role in Staunton, Skrobis is planning a trip to Guatemala to take Spanish immersion classes. Librarianship also runs in the family: Skrobis’ youngest sister recently became a youth services librarian in Alaska.

Skrobis plans to join the team at the Staunton Public Library on June 28.