s snow blankets Sun Valley, I type this newsletter in a quiet apartment on top of Rome's highest of seven hills, il Gianicolo. My heart is in two places. 

or almost seven years I have had the privilege and pleasure of serving an esteemed cultural institution that is a vital and important center of the intellectual life of the Wood River Valley. The Community Library, founded 57 years ago, is a privately funded public library, a great library, a thriving, dynamic, vibrant, and HAPPENING library with a professional, caring staff and a dedicated Board of Trustees. 

atrons,133,932 of them in 2011 (what a number for a town of 4,000!), by their numbers agree that the Library is living up to its Vision, which is to be relentlessly relevant.

t is in this place that my heart resides. 

ut it also resides here, on the Gianicolo.

n the last day of 2011, I accepted a position as the Director of Development for the American Academy in Rome, one of the leading American overseas centers for independent study and advanced research in the fine arts and the humanities. It is the only privately funded academy of the 30 academies in Rome. 

(Hmmm, an interesting parallel here. . . .)

hose who know me personally are aware of my fascination with all things Italian. How thrilling it will be to express my passion for books and bringing people together at lectures (the library at the Academy has approximately the same number of items as the Community Library ~ 130,000) within another venerable institution (founded in 1894) that is focused on the arts and humanities, with a Roman twist.

his transition occurs at a time when the Community Library is solid and strong and

poised for continued success in realizing its Mission and Vision. The Staff and Board may miss me for a moment, but the programs and services the Library offers will carry along and thrive without skipping a single beat. 

fter leaving the Library in mid-February I will be based in New York City and travel regularly to Rome, but my heart (and body and soul) will return again and again and again to the small, beautiful, isolated (but vibrant!) mountain town in the Rockies that I love.

With much gratitude,

Colleen Daly

Executive Director