Andrea Eckerson —  East Helena Branch Manager, Lewis & Clark Library, Montana

Andrea Eckerson leads the cozy East Helena Branch Library on Main Street, but she's dreaming bigger. The community has outgrown its little library, and Andrea is in the exciting early stages of building a new space four times larger than the current one. Located in a large park near elementary schools, the new library will better serve East Helena's growing needs.

Andrea's success stems from collaboration. She has built strong partnerships with the Mayor, City Council, school librarians, and local artists, enabling outdoor programming in parks, K-12 outreach, and diverse community programs.

Her path to branch management began when her supervisor at the Helena Branch encouraged her to apply for an assistant position in East Helena, where she already lived, and her children attended school. It proved to be a perfect fit.

ARSL has been transformative for Andrea, particularly the 2024-2025 Leadership Institute Cohort. "I have thirty library professionals in my corner, with whom I can brainstorm, call when I am struggling, and catch up with at conferences," she explains. The experience has given her newfound confidence in her work. Her favorite ARSL memory? Reuniting in person with her Leadership Cohort in Albuquerque this year.

"My favorite success story in my work is surrounding myself with a team of individuals who support me and my outlandish ideas and personality! I couldn't do this work without them."

Written by the ARSL Office