In a time when public spaces are being reimagined to meet the needs of the modern world, Shannon Rodriguez is quietly transforming her corner of Monticello into something extraordinary. As the local library’s branch manager, Rodriguez is not just curating books—she’s cultivating community, resilience, and belonging. Since stepping into her role at the library, Rodriguez has poured her energy into changing not only what the library offers, but who feels welcome there. She remembers a time when libraries felt closed off to kids like her. “It felt like I didn’t belong there,” she says. That sentiment now fuels her mission. Under her guidance, the library has blossomed into a vibrant, inclusive hub: there’s a screened-in porch, an herb garden, a seed library, and spaces where even non-readers can find something that feels like theirs. She wants the library to be a place where children feel like they’re visiting a friend. Rodriguez isn’t just building a library; she’s building trust. She reads at daycares and pre-Ks so that new kids will recognize her face when they walk through the doors. She wants everyone—kids and adults alike—to know that the library is more than books. It’s fishing rods and tents. Cake pans and video games. Puzzles, music, movie nights, and refuge. “If you want a space where you’ll be accepted, come to the library,” she says. Rodriguez emphasizes kindness and customer service with her staff because she knows the stakes. “If we don’t treat people kindly, they’re not going to come back,” she explains. “And if people don’t utilize the library, the library doesn’t get the funding.” She’s already improving long-standing programs like the summer reading initiative, introducing new formats to help children retain their reading levels— and their joy. From pre-K kits to coding crafts for older kids, every effort is designed to meet people where they are. Through it all, Rodriguez remains, as she puts it, “a die-hard optimist.” “I’ll paint the silver lining,” she says. “There is something good in every single thing that happens.” In Shannon Rodriguez, Monticello doesn’t just have a library manager—it has a visionary, a fighter, a friend, and a fierce believer in the power of second chances. And maybe more than anything, it has someone who sees the library not as a building full of books, but as a beating heart of the community. And thanks to her, that heart beats stronger than ever.
