By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
International Women’s Day, a significant date designated by the United Nations in 1975, is fast approaching. On Saturday, March 8, 2025, the entire world will band together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of smart, capable, and accomplished women. Here in Ontario, as a major commemoration of women’s excellence, the YMCA of Hamilton will hold its 49th annual Women of Distinction (WOD) Awards. The ceremony is set to take place on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Hamilton Convention Centre (1 Summers Ln, Hamilton) from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. It is anticipated to be a grand event and will be attended by luminaries from all over the area.
Eight distinguished women from the Halton region have been nominated for this prestigious honour. They, as a group, represent the hard work that women have put into making this slice of Ontario efficient, inclusive, and stable. One of them is Lita Barrie, the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Burlington Public Library. She has been nominated in the category of Public Service.
Barrie has been kind enough to speak out about her nomination and her viewpoints on her success as a CEO:
How did you feel when you were nominated?
I was very touched to be nominated. I was fortunate to have been nominated in 2023 — it was a wonderful experience — and I feel very appreciative to have the opportunity to participate again and be included among the 1,900 women who’ve been nominated in the YWCA Women of Distinction awards’ 50-year history.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishments as CEO of Burlington Public Library?
I’m proud of so many things that we’ve accomplished at BPL. If I were to pick my top achievements, I would settle on two: first, we’ve increased our hours of service by 20%. Our urban library branches are now open seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Increasing library hours was a key community priority and we were able to accomplish it within our existing budget thanks to innovative thinking and problem-solving. Second, I’m proud of our incredible team. The library is all about connection and our greatest resource is our people. For three consecutive years, we have received a Great Places to Work employee engagement certification, confirmation that our staff team is proud of the work we do and how we do it.
There are always new accomplishments, which is part of what makes this work so rewarding. In 2024, for the first time ever, we exceeded two million items borrowed from the library. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next.
What advice would you give to young women who want to work in the library sector?
The advice I would give to anyone interested in working in the library sector is this: the most important and rewarding part of the work is the people. Yes, providing access to books, ideas, and learning is our core function, but the library is about people. Connecting people, and through those connections, helping them feed their sense of self and curiosity and build and nurture a sense of community.
What are you hoping to accomplish moving forward?
One of the wonderful things about working in the library sector is that change is constant, and we strive to continuously evolve to connect the community with the resources they are seeking. I’m particularly looking forward to the relocation of BPL’s New Appleby branch to the Robert Bateman Community Centre later this year. This very well-used branch is a bit cozy in its current location, and we’re so excited to provide the community with a bigger space.
