Cierra Bakovka has been director of the Henika Public Library since June 2021.

Bakovka, 25, grew up in central Wisconsin, where she said she discovered her love for libraries.

“I have always loved reading, writing, and talking about books,” she said. “When I was a little girl, my grandma would take me to the library at least once a week and I’d load up my arms with stacks and stacks of books before going home and reading all of them before the due date.”

After high school, she went to Grand Valley State University and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English Language and Literature with a minor in writing in 2019.She has been working in libraries and library-related fields for more than 10 years and expects to complete requirements for a master’s degree this summer.

Before coming to Henika, she was the adult librarian at Patmos Library in Jamestown.

“Working at Henika has been amazing so far and I am looking forward to growing here and helping this house of wonder flourish.

“Some of the projects the staff and I have been working on since then are: Library renovations (new paint and new carpet) completed in February 2022, masonry repairs (expected Summer 2022), adding the 34% of Yankee Springs residents who live in Wayland Union School District to the Henika library district (on the ballot for August 2022), and the addition of a special collection (mobile hotspots, chromebooks, gaming consoles, power tools, etc. available for checkout.”