TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Library officials on Monday announced that Dr. Pamela Lin-Chen is joining the Library Board of Trustees, starting in September 2024, and will serve through 2029.

While Dr. Lin-Chen considers herself an avid consumer of books – becoming an audiobook aficionado during the pandemic – it is the free resources provided at the library that piqued her interest in joining the Board, particularly the Library of Things, educational events, ebooks and audiobooks.

“Libraries have to adapt to the needs of our increasingly tech-driven world and I think Baltimore County Public Library has done that beautifully and I look forward to helping anyway I can,” the Towson native said.

Dr. Lin-Chen is no stranger to serving the community. She has practiced family medicine in Towson for more than 20 years and feels that experience has prepared her for serving on the Board of Trustees. It has allowed her to feel comfortable serving and communicating with a broad spectrum of people and listening to what our community needs and finds useful. This aligns well with the library’s vision to create a more inclusive and connected Baltimore County. Other volunteer work over the years includes serving on the West Towson Elementary School PTA committees, working with her son’s Boy Scouts troop parent leadership and volunteering as a Baltimore County election judge.

“We are pleased that the County Executive has confirmed Pamela Lin-Chen to join our Library Board of Trustees. As we focus on our strategic plan and cultivate other literacies, including health, Pamela’s background and expertise bring a new and different perspective to the Board,” said CEO Sonia Alcántara Antoine. “She will be invaluable as we navigate toward creating and maintaining 21st century libraries where we move beyond books to serve as community hub for connection and personal transformation.”

The Baltimore County mom says the library has always been a family affair, spending her Saturdays and Sundays taking her children to different branches across the county, with a particular soft spot for Storyville.

“Though my own children are too old to visit now, it is still a place of wonder and delight for me, and I was thrilled to experience it again recently with some young relatives,” Dr. Lin-Chen said.

Her children are now in college and high school, and when their busy schedules allow, you’ll find them biking, hiking, traveling or reading.

Baltimore County Public Library is governed by a seven-member administrative board appointed by the County Executive. The Board operates under the Laws of Maryland Related to Public Libraries and a set of bylaws (PDF). The Board has the legal authority to see that the library system is well managed and operates in accordance with the laws as well as policies established by the board itself.

Photo via BCPL