(First published in June 2003 "Off the Shelf", FOPL's Newsletter)

I first ran into Tracey at California Library Association Legislative Day in Sacramento, in 2002. We shared a quick bite together before going in to meet Sen. Don Perata. I found out that we actually were neighbors – which led to our sharing a few more quick bites – food and experiences.

Tracey Scott is the new chairwoman of the Library Advisory Commission (LAC). She probably never imagined the whirlwind fight to save the Oakland libraries that would be part of her first year’s tenure. The quick response and effective action of the commission was due in no small part to her leadership.

When I asked her about her connections to libraries, her immediate response was, "I grew up in the library" for me it was access to "Far away places with strange sounding names". Tracey grew up in Atlanta and Connecticut. She received a bachelor's in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA through the executive program at Emory University in Atlanta.

Ten years at Bell-South, including volunteer experiences as chairperson of a 10,000-member international professional association, finely tuned her managerial experience.

Five years ago she formed The MindWorx Group, a marketing and business planning consulting firm which helps companies with new product planning and re-branding.

There is more to life than work and libraries.

Recently, Tracey and her partner have adopted a six year old girl which connects her even more closely to libraries through schools and reading preparedness. Parents intimately feel the need for or lack of resources for learning. Tracey has high expectations for her Oakland community. In her own words, "Neighborhood libraries as community centers are important to Oaklanders. "Reader Nation" is subversive in its suggestion that Oakland is and can be more than the negative, stereotypical, nightly news statistic. Our communities' future depends on libraries and educational institutions. The power to make a difference should never be underestimated. That's why I give my time to the LAC."

In closing, I’d like to leave our readers with the haunting phrases of "Faraway Places" that meant so much to a little girl named Tracey.

- Genevieve Katz, FOPL Board Member

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