Looking Back & Looking Ahead

We asked CALS team members to share their favorite library events from 2025, along with their top choices in books, movies, or albums. We also wanted to know what they are looking forward to in 2026. The Grand Reopening of Main Library was the most popular choice!

Joe Hudak – Head of Main Library

Favorite Moment

The grand reopening of the Main Library.

Top 5 Books

• Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, Megan Greenwell
• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones
• The Dad Rock that Made Me a Woman, Niko Stratis
• The Last American Road Trip, Sarah Kendzior
• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad

Kyly Hawk – Assistant Manager, Fletcher Library

Favorite Moment

Beginning my position as Assistant Manager at Fletcher.

Top 5 Books

• Dating After the End of the World, Jeneva Rose
• Heated Rivalry, Rachel Reid
• Our Infinite Fates, Laura Steven
• Buring Daylight, Emily McIntire
• The Lies of Alma Blackwood, Amanda Glaze

Ellen Samples – Director of Programming

Favorite Moments

The author session with Victoria Christopher Murray in February 2025 and the Six Bridges Book Festival.

Top 5 Books

• Harlem Rhapsody, Victoria Christopher Murray
• The Names , Florence Knapp
• Happy Land, Dolen Perkins-Valdez
• Wreck, Catherine Newman
• The Correspondent, Virginia Evans

Heather Pressgrove – Youth Projects Coordinator

Favorite Moment

Getting to either go out into the community (daycares, schools, Park Plaza events) and share a storytime or go into branches as a substitute for another programmer’s storytime.

Top 5 Books

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins
• Educated, Tara Westover
• The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin
• Awake, Jen Hatmaker

Tameka Lee – Chief Communications and Engagement Officer

Favorite Moment

This is probably a popular choice, but the Main Library grand reopening. It was the culmination of two years of construction, ideas, and planning, and the Communications team put in so much work to create a memorable experience that matched the grandeur of the building.

Excited About

A full year back at Main. I’m excited to see what comes next—especially new programs and our signature cultural events, like the Black Family Expo and Día de Muertos.

Top 5 Books/Films/Albums

• The Look, Michelle Obama
• Harlem Rhapsody, Victoria Christopher Murray
• Sinners
• Zootopia 2
• GNX, Kendrick Lamar (Stream with hoopla here)

Eliza Borné – Chief Development Officer

Favorite Moment

My favorite CALS moment over the past year was the entire day of October 4, 2025. By then, CALS’s staff, architects, construction workers, and others had been working for years to renovate the Main Library and prepare it to welcome back our community. I had spent many months giving hard-hat tours to donors who had stepped up to give generously in support of the project. October 4 was both the Grand Reopening of the Main Library and the main day of the Six Bridges Book Festival, and it was incredibly gratifying — after so much hard work and preparation — to watch the building come roaring back to life with people and programs. That day was a blur of greeting guests, assisting with Six Bridges author programs, and running all over our campus to pitch in where needed. My husband and kids had come downtown for the day to enjoy the festivities. Though I was working, I was able to meet up with them briefly in front of Main for a hug and a quick photo as we celebrated our city’s fabulous new library that we will all get to enjoy for decades to come. Getting to share this day with so many library supporters and especially my family was an experience I will always cherish.