Rev. Yvette Davis graduated from New York University and worked in financial services — until she reset her course by thinking about the jobs that made her happiest while working through college. 

Davis, President of the Dauphin County Library System Board of Trustees, remembered the joy of attending the New York Institute of Technology library.  

“I loved all the different subject areas,” she says. “I learned about architecture. I learned about business. I learned about helping students find their way through the collection. There was always a new project – different campaigns to make the library more accessible, to help people become more aware of the library resources.” 

After earning a master’s degree in library and information science, Davis worked in corporate libraries until a wee-small-hours epiphany amid a merger. Finally, at 1:30 a.m., she was told she could go home. She decided, “I do not want to spend my life making rich people rich.”  

From there, her career wove through nonprofits and the ministry. As director of urban and global ministries for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of United Methodist Church, she provided resources for 120 churches in eastern Pennsylvania.  

That period also introduced her to antiracism and diversity, which now threads through her work. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, she sees DEI evolving from largely a matter of legal compliance into a question of humanizing people and “starting to pay attention to how we treat each other respectfully.”  

In January 2022, Davis was named director of the Dickinson College Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity. Another new role emerged in January 2023 when the Dauphin County Commissioners appointed her to the Dauphin County Library System board of trustees. In April, she became board president – and the first person of color to hold the presidency.  

Davis is thrilled to be helming a board more diverse than ever in race, ideas, and experience, “genuinely committed to the success of The Library.” She expects to help lead the search for a new executive director who will guide The Library toward its goal of being an exemplar for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  

What can The Library achieve in DEI in the coming years? 

The board’s DEI committee has already begun looking at some of our practices, areas, and opportunities to improve and how we can be genuinely, authentically equitable across the system. Speaking primarily of our methods and policies, how can we be even more inclusive by recognizing the many cultures represented across The Library system, and how can we do more to give visibility and voice and provide services that folks can use day to day? I’m very excited about our present and about our future.  

What do you hope to find in a new executive director? 

We are seeking a visionary, dynamic leader who loves public libraries. Dauphin County Library System is in a beautiful position. Our main library is a five-minute walk from county government, city hall, and the state Capitol.  

We’d like to see the new director expand and deepen our relationships with governments and community groups, so we have increased partnerships to expand our programming across the system, whether in Harrisburg or Lykens. We also want to cultivate more folks who would like to invest in the success of The Library system through their giving.  

How does The Library become an exemplar? 

It’ll take time. We have a board of trustees that is not only committed to coming to meetings but willing to roll up their sleeves and do some good, meaningful work. Despite some very often challenging circumstances, we have staff in the local libraries who deliver excellent service to our members and the people who come into the building.  

They are faithful, they are determined, and they work hard. We also have members of our senior management team who are experienced and committed to the development of the library. And we have some great supporters. I’m amazed.  

The Dauphin County Commissioners provide a significant amount of funding, and they continue to support us financially and with advice and whatever they can do to be supportive. We will be unstoppable once we hire a strong leader and if we are true to our values.  

How will The Library’s members and the community experience this vision? 

When I first moved to Philadelphia 20 years ago, the public library helped me get acclimated and gave me the resources to find a job and a better place to live. I learned personal financial management through a program at a public library. It was through the Free Library of Philadelphia that I found my volunteer opportunities.  

The public library is so important to the lives of people who don’t have a lot of resources. How does that manifest for our members? It means they will have a safe place to go, with people ready to assist them with information and resources that will help them improve their quality of life. It will also manifest through the programming so it’s accessible to everyone.  

I am among a wonderful group of folks – staff, trustees, and volunteers – who are committed to the Dauphin County Library System being the best library system it can be, and that will show through how we treat and serve our constituents.