Get to Know 2026 New Members Roundtable Chair Joy Doukas
Learn more about the 2024-2026 chair of the New Members Roundtable Joy Doukas. The forum is currently recruiting new mentors and mentees for the 2026 year. Learn more and sign up here. Joy has been working in Virginia libraries since 2021 when she transitioned from advertising and sales and began the work on her MLIS at the University of Southern Mississippi, but she has been a library kid for her entire life. She is deeply passionate about public libraries and often states that libraries are the “last, good, free thing.” She has a passion for community safety nets, working to solve food insufficiency and champions public libraries as a safe space for all to exist. She sees how libraries help fill in gaps for those who struggle to have basic needs met and enjoys connecting people to resources.  Your itinerary for one perfect day in Virginia: I would begin the day at Sandbridge, with my toes in the sand and cup of coffee in my hand, watching the sun rise over the water, then I’d take the south road back toward the Jamestown Ferry, stopping in at Chippokes State Park to look for shark teeth. After a nice ferry ride across the James River, I’d pop by Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and let the wind blow through my hair on one of their heart-pumping roller coasters (I’ll always love Apollo’s Chariot, but Pantheon is a real thrill!) After that I’d book over to Belle Isle in Richmond and take a scramble over the Skipping Rocks on the south side of the island. After a quick pie stop at Church Hill’s Proper Pie Company (yum!) I’d head out west on 64, toward the mountains, jumping off onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to take the long, slow, scenic route heading south… I’d take a little detour at route 501 to pay my respects to Mama Woodruff at Woodruff’s Pie Shop and have a slice for dinner (can you tell I love pie?) As the sun starts to set, I’d keep moving a bit down the parkway to Apple Orchard Mountain Scenic Overlook where I could watch the sun set over the valley. One thing you can’t live without: Coffee. All the Coffee. One thing you wish you knew when you began your career in libraries: How important the health, safety and wellness of our patrons will become. I care about my library people passionately and will work as hard as I am able with the help of those around me to ensure that they have access to every resource and tool available to help them live the best quality of life possible. One piece of advice for library mentors and mentees: Don’t allow the idea of perfection stand in the way of possibilities. There is no version of a perfect Mentor or an ideal Mentee, but if you come together with curiosity and a willingness to share, listen, and grow, you’ll be surprised how rewarding the experience can be. To know and be known is a huge benefit to ensuring mental health and sustained engagement in libraries, and having someone in your corner (virtually or in person) has a huge mental and emotional impact. One accomplishment you’d like to share: I feel like I’ve made a life of big, scary swings. Whether it was moving to NYC in my 20’s with $1,200 in my bank account, a 3 month sublet with a stranger, no friends, and no job, to transitioning away from a career in Sales to get my MLIS and become a librarian, I’ve taken a deep breath, followed my intuition, and left the well-trodden path to step off into the unknown. Each time, I’ve been rewarded with new and engaging experiences, new friends to fill my life with adventure and stories, and a feeling that I’m becoming the person I have always been meant to be. We never really stop growing. |
