WiLS is a nonprofit member organization governed by a Board of Directors. These 14 individuals represent the diversity of our membership – spanning academic, K-12 schools, and public libraries to archives and cultural heritage organizations. Together, they form a singular Board positioned to help WiLS with decision-making and fiscal stewardship, weaving together unique and shared experiences into a rich body of knowledge essential for organizational health and longevity. They are critical to helping us stay mission-focused and member-responsive, particularly as we develop new services and approaches to our work. Their support and advice is irreplaceable.
In addition to providing a breadth of experience, our Board plays an important role in two-way communication. We encourage all WiLS members to ask questions or make suggestions to them or any WiLS Board member. WiLS members are also welcome to attend virtual meetings of the Board.
In the coming months, we will spotlight our Board members so you can get to know them better. In this spotlight, we introduce you to Sarah Miller (she/her), Member Engagement Specialist with WiscNet and WiLS Board representative at-large.
How long have you worked in the library/cultural org space?
10 years
What’s your favorite aspect of your job?
I love the fact that I get to work with and meet so many incredibly interesting, bright people. The learning curve in my work is steep, but it’s exhilarating to constantly be learning new things and to never be the smartest person in the room.
I also take a lot of personal meaning from serving people — I believe that’s my purpose on earth, to be of service, and my work with WiscNet allows me to do that.
What do you like best (or look forward to the most) about serving on the WiLS board?
Where do I possibly begin? I learn so much about libraries from serving on the WiLS board, it’s humbling. I’m the least experienced person — I’m not now and have never been a librarian — so the longer I’m around, the more knowledge, understanding, and insight I gain, and that’s invaluable to me.
It’s also amazing to be part of an organization that is so thoughtful and intentional about absolutely every aspect of the work. No one can ever accuse WiLS of making willy-nilly decisions or not thinking things through. It’s such an honor to work with people who care to this degree about libraries and their needs.
What is your dream job?
Fairy godmother.
What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?
Reading, going to library book sales, and hiking with my family.
What book, movie, podcast, art, or music has made a lasting impression on you and why/how?
It’s impossible for me to give you one answer, so let me just say that the following books fundamentally changed me, my life, and the way I see the world: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong, and What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry. I wasn’t the same after reading these books.
Any hobbies you’d like to share?
In my “spare” time (HA!), I write a twice-weekly Substack newsletter about children’s books, raising readers, and building a culture of reading in your home.
What was your first job and what’s the one lesson you took from that experience that still resonates with you today?
I worked for a chain bakery called Cookies by Design, which specialized in “cookie bouquets.” The lesson I learned that still resonates is that working for someone who is unhinged is totally out of your control and never gets easier, so you might as well get out while you can. 😂
What unique perspective do you think you bring to the WiLS community?
Network access (the internet) and technology is an essential part of libraries and librarianship but seems to be something that many people, understandably, don’t understand. Hopefully that’s an area where my knowledge and experience makes a positive impact.
