34 / matters magazine / home&garden 2018 F or Sarah Lester, a library is synonymous with community. As the director of the Maplewood Memorial Library, she and her staff see people of all ages and backgrounds utilizing their resources for dozens of reasons. In Beyond Books The Maplewood Library celebrates its fifth annual Ideas Festival. BY ELLEN DONKER fact, nearly 1,000 people walk through the doors each day: seniors and young moms; teens and war veterans; entrepreneurs and researchers. Far from be- ing a warehouse of books, the library is a place to interact and form connections on many levels – and that’s what gives it heart. In her six years at the library’s helm, Lester has deliberately sought ways to foster community. The annual Ideas Festival is one such initiative, born from the desire to showcase the wealth of talent and creativity among our local population. The way she sees it, Maplewood has connections to many in- teresting people. Why not bring them together by sponsoring events that are free and open to the pub- lic, allowing residents access to high caliber speakers who can transport them to the world of their ideas and knowledge? Brainstorming for the first festival in 2014 be- gan in an organic fashion: Lester gathered her staff to share ideas about who they knew in town who would make interesting speakers. “Our librarians,” she says, “meet so many people during the course of a day. All combined, they know practically everyone. It was a logical place to start.” Their conversation in- cluded Maplewood residents, past and pres- ent, as well as those with access to interesting people. Lester first contacted Judith Viorst, a Maplewood native and author of the popular children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. To her delight, Viorst responded, agreeing to participate as the inaugural speaker of the 2014 Ideas Festival and becoming the first recipient of the annual Maplewood Literary Award. The success of this event bolstered the library staff to contact other speakers and soon enough the schedule was filled. In the years since, they have hosted authors, journalists, artists, live music, Olym- pians, filmmakers and more. Sarah Lester is the director of the Maplewood Memorial Library Author Judith Viorst was the inaugural speaker of the first annual Ideas Festival in 2014.