Former library dean at WWU now Bellingham library trustee

Rick Osen, the newest trustee at Bellingham Public Library, knows a thing or two about libraries, having worked in one for more than 35 years.

The former interim dean of libraries and assistant dean for library administration and planning at Western Washington University, Osen was appointed in February to serve alongside fellow trustees J. Robert Gordon, Rachel Myers, Marilyn Mastor and Tom Barrett.

Osen, 66, has long considered libraries vital to the communities they serve. After retiring from Western last year, he decided he wanted to contribute his knowledge and years of experience to the library community.