Michelle Petersen has over 20 years of experience in libraries of various sizes. She worked in Illinois working in libraries in the Chicago suburbs as a Patron Services Manager, and in Southern Illinois, she was part of the Glen Carbon Centennial Library Management team when it was chosen as the “Best Small Library in America” in 2010. Michelle was a Three Rivers Library District Board of Trustees board member from 2017-2023.
In 2023, Michelle founded the Three Rivers Library Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to help raise funds for a new library building.
She is now a Branch Manager at a library in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
Michelle is a highly sought-after national public speaker. Whether you are an academic, public, school, or special library, her presentations will give you tips and tricks for improving staff relations with each other and with patrons.
Her fun, inspiring, and educational programs encourage attendees to focus on her “not who, but how philosophy” of any situation. She gives ideas for encouraging staff to provide excellent customer service, externally to patrons and internally to fellow staff. She shares real-life stories and techniques that can be implemented and help staff immediately.