New chapter arrives for director of S.L. Library System

When Nancy Tessman talks about libraries, it's with a passion that hasn't dimmed during the 30 years that she has worked in them.

She has spent 10 years as director of Salt Lake City's libraries and another 20 before that in every position from librarian to capital-projects manager to library public relations. But when Tessman, 54, leaves work today, her biography's next chapter will be of Tessman the retiree and world traveler.

She and her husband plan to travel for six months throughout Europe, including three months living in an apartment they have rented in Paris. After that, she doesn't plan to be a stranger to the Salt Lake libraries.

It's the chapter on her career, though, that's certain to become a classic.

"Nancy's tremendous, dedicated service to the Salt Lake City Public Library system has made such a positive impact on our community, particularly with respect to education, culture and the arts," Mayor Rocky Anderson said. "Her leadership in bringing the downtown library project to fruition, integrating advancing technology into all city libraries and transforming our libraries into treasured community gathering spaces has been invaluable."

The downtown library Anderson speaks of — the main branch of the library, at 210 E. 400 South — is Tessman's most visible legacy. It was the American Library Association's 2006 Library of the Year. The building was designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie and built with an $84 million voter-approved bond. The library opened in 2003 — and broke all the rules of a what a library once was.

The building is only part of the story: The library and the process that brought it into reality are a symbol of how Tessman views libraries and their role in the community.

"I'd have to say what I take pride in is what the building really represents," she said. "I think it represented a real leap forward in terms of the community's interest in investing in a way to identify itself and describe itself more fully."

The glass structure, filled with natural light, open spaces and a mix of noisy lobbies and quiet, tucked-away nooks, has become Salt Lake City's heart, the gathering place for businessman, vagabond and bookworm alike.