“Don’t take it personally. It’s human nature to take the words and actions of other people personally, but we often don’t know what might be going on in their lives or motivating their behavior.”

Elizabeth Miniatt, D.R. Moon Library Director

Elizabeth Miniatt has served as the Library Director of the D.R. Moon Library since October 2019. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from UW Eau Claire and a Master of Library and Information Science from UW Milwaukee. Elizabeth knew she wanted to be a librarian from a young age. She describes, “I can remember the first time I walked into our little library in Randolph, Wisconsin, I was seven years old. It was the most beautiful building my little child self had ever seen. From that moment I decided I wanted to work at a library. I have always loved libraries.” Reading was Elizabeth’s favorite activity as a child and while digital books are convenient, Elizabeth prefers paper books, but she has a hard time picking one book as her favorite. She says, “I have so many favorite books that it’s easier to choose two favorite authors: Megan Whalen Turner and Maggie Stiefvater. Both Megan and Maggie offer fascinating stories in a distinct and gorgeous writing style.”

Elizabeth enjoys working at the Library in Stanley because she loves being able to help people find answers to their questions and challenging situations. “It’s so rewarding to be able to help solve problems and get answers when people need it the most,” she remarks.  The biggest career challenge she has faced began four months into starting her job, the Covid-19 pandemic. Elizabeth describes, “I was a brand-new library director, faced with the normal challenges of library work to meet and overcome, and then that was all swept away in an instant.  The library building was closed to the public for several weeks and when we slowly reopened it was with a whole new set of challenges and important considerations.”

 One of ten children, Elizabeth knows what it’s like to grow up surrounded by family. With her parents’ families living in Bloomer and the Ladysmith area, many of her extended family members still live in the area.  Elizabeth’s family has operated an organic farm for about twenty years.  Though they now have moved from dairy farming to crop farming, they still raise their own beef, pigs, chicken, and cattle.  Elizabeth’s family enjoys spending time together especially outdoors, whether it’s boating, kayaking, snowmobiling, swimming, or jet skiing. They also enjoy visiting Wisconsin waterfalls and exploring new hiking trails.  Elizabeth remarks, “Since we have a large family, it’s hard to get everyone together, so we spend a lot of time planning annual gatherings and short vacations.” She adds, “One of our favorite places we’ve visited was a quiet town on Lake Superior where the beach was a short walk from where we were staying.  Mostly, we just like spending time together, eating good food, and having good conversations.” Elizabeth is indecisive when deciding what her favorite place is that she’s traveled to. “I can’t pick a favorite place, but I did love Krakow, Poland.” She adds, “We traveled with Polish friends, and it was such a relaxed and fun trip because they were with us as guides and translators.  Krakow itself is a beautiful city in a gorgeous country, full of history and grace. I loved exploring the castle, churches, shops, squares, and restaurants.”

A fun fact about Elizabeth is that she has an identical twin sister and is also fluent in American Sign Language. “UWEC had a language requirement for graduation, so I took a class in American Sign Language.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to take courses in the language and eventually earned a Certificate in ASL from the university,” she says.

The best advice Elizabeth has ever received is, “Don’t take it personally.” Elizabeth likes to give people the benefit of the doubt. She adds, “It’s human nature to take the words and actions of other people personally, but we often don’t know what might be going on in their lives or motivating their behavior.”

Elizabeth has lived in the Stanley area for fifteen years and when asked what she enjoys the most about the Stanley community, she says, “What I enjoy the most about the community is the people I have met through working at the library.  Although I’ve only been a part of the Stanley community for a few years since starting as library director, I have always felt so welcomed and supported by the community.  From my library board to the library staff, to the city council, to individual community members, to the Friends of the Library, I have such appreciation for each person’s commitment and attention to the library.”