Spotlight on Dan Clark

This month we meet Dan Clark the Strategic and Development Manager for the new Heritage and Library building, due to open in August 2020.

How long have you worked for Doncaster Libraries?

I have been working in the Libraries and Culture service since February 2018 as the Strategic Development Manager for the new central library and museum that is currently being built and due to open in the summer of 2020.

What parts of your job do you enjoy the most?

The variety of the role. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and enthusiastic colleagues, all with their expertise and specialisms. It is a great pleasure to work for a service whose aim is to enrich the lives of Doncaster residents. The new central library and museum is fantastic opportunity to take the service to the next level and will provide an opportunity for visitors to enjoy all that Heritage Doncaster and Doncaster Libraries have to offer – in one building. For more information about the new build please visit www.doncaster.gov.uk/iconicbuild

Is there any service on offer or event that you would recommend?

In my role, I have the opportunity to work across both the library service and Heritage Doncaster, so I would recommend both tying both together in one! I can’t think of anything better than relaxing with a book and a picnic on a sunny day in the parklands of Cusworth Hall.

What’s your favourite book?

My favourite piece of fiction is Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. As a Nottinghamshire native, I find it fascinating to read of landmarks that I had grown up around as the protagonist, Paul Morel, encounters them in his own life. Regardless of the location however, this modern classic is a bold story of love, family duty and coming of age – all set against a richly described industrial backdrop.

As for non-fiction, it has to be The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Whilst it was never written to be read, these personal journals of a Roman Emperor offer an opportunity to learn from the mindset and reflections of a philosopher, ruler, but ultimately – a human. His thoughts are as relevant today as they were nearly 2,000 years ago.

If you could invite a famous person (dead or alive) to visit your workplace, who would you choose and why?

My workplace is technically the Doncaster Council Civic Office and it is home to hundreds of services. One man who would doubtlessly have been interested in trying his hand at all of them was the energetic Theodore Roosevelt. He was a farmer and explorer, police commissioner and governor; he became President of the United States of America by 42, and wrote 35 books… After giving him a quick tour of the building I’d like to sit him down and ask him where he got all his energy from!