LaFarge steps in as new Library of Graham Director

The Library of Graham welcomed a new director last Monday as Kelly LaFarge took over the position held by Sherrie Gibson since 2000. LaFarge brings to the library an extensive background in teaching, nonprofits, the arts and her experience as a children’s book author.

LaFarge also has worked in the past as a commercial artist, production artist, advertising artist, teacher, instructional aid, volunteer and more since the 1990s. She said she recently retired from working with the Fort Worth ISD International Newcomer Academy, and has a wide array of experience in other areas.

“I did 25 years of teaching and taught ESL, ELA, Social Studies, Art. (...) I retired in May, June from a school in Fort Worth called International Newcomer Academy. (...) it’s Fort Worth’s districts ESL intake school, so the kids come to us that just recently immigrated to the United States for two semesters (and get) up to two years of intense English instruction, along with their regular core curriculum and then they go out to their homeschools. So we had kids that came from Afghanistan that helped the military families, Catholic Charities brought us kids from the African continent and then other immigrants (came from) China and Russia. We usually had around 40 languages on our campus. (...) And of course, lots of kids from Mexico and Central America, refugees from Honduras and Ecuador and Venezuela and things like that, too. So we dealt with a lot of trauma issues,” she said. “(I) taught, (was a) substitute, did principalship. (...) I also worked nonprofits, worked on boards, art boards, historic boards for other communities where I lived at. I’m also a children’s author and illustrator, so books are my thing.”

LaFarge said she got remarried five years ago to Willie Mahan and last summer permanently relocated to Loving on the Stick Horse Ranch. She said she is looking forward to using her experience in her new position at the library.

“What I’m really excited about is being able to combine my nonprofit experience and my board experience, my education experience and my administration experience. I have an MPA (...) and an MED. So this kind of just brings it all full circle for me, I can bring everything in there. So (...) I’d like to grow the programming offerings, (with) chess club, book club, coffee club, you know, arts and crafts, poetry, some cowboy poetry, maybe. Maybe some little music out in the park out here, some little poetry slam thing (...),” she said. “I’ve taught art, so (...) I want to make a connection with the art teachers in the school district and see if I can get some kid art in here and parents. (...) you know, libraries they’re not really dying, but they’ve got to kind of change and grow. You know, it’s almost more like a community center, where people can come in and learn other things than just from their book. You know, you can get a lot on the web, but not everything. I see a lot of people already just in the little time I’ve been here, I feel like all they need to meet so and so that just came in. I feel like there’s a lot of people that really need to connect and build their interpersonal relationships, and little community. So if I can get all the administration stuff down, I’m envisioning working on programming.”

For the rest of the story, see the Feb. 23 edition of The Graham Leader.