ITHACA, N.Y.—Leslie Tabor, Tompkins County Public Library’s new library director, said that she fell in love with Ithaca while visiting with friends for weekends and festivals during her time in school in Syracuse.
“This is a dream job for me,” Tabor said. “I’m excited to be here and provide some stability, to be here for a while, and see where everyone wants to go.”
Tabor has worked at Appalachia Regional Library, Library of Congress, New York Public Library and most recently Phoenix Public Library.
“We’re the last space in society where you can come here without expectation of a capitalist transaction, and that is very important to me,” she said. “We reflect our diverse community.”
Tabor said she believes in libraries as a community center and the “people’s university” rather than being a place for people to be “quiet and…