CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - “Your library is a shared resource; get out and share it,” commands Rivkah Sass. Carmichael business people got the message when the feisty director of Sacramento County libraries addressed the Chamber of Commerce.

The executive – who started her career as a children’s librarian in Washington State – was recently named in a stellar lineup of “Women Who Mean Business” by Sacramento Business Magazine. Daughter of a Manteca dairy farmer, Sass runs the fourth-largest library system in California with an iron fist, a velvet glove and a sense of humor.

Taking her Sacramento job in 2008, Sass inherited an institution reeling from an internal embezzlement scandal. Perpetrators have since served jail time and much of the stolen money ($500,000 of $800,000) was recovered. An iron-clad system, explained Sass, is now in place to prevent similar occurrences. “We now have the best financial management in world,” she says. “We want the public to trust we’re doing a good job with their money.”

Sass is proud that programs introduced under her aegis now serve customers from cradle to (almost) the grave. She boasts of recently checking out a pressure-washer to clean her home deck. “Our Library of Things can loan you anything from a sewing machine to a musical instrument or a go-pro camera,” she says. “We can help you apply for a passport; publish a book; get free or discounted museum passes; earn a high school diploma or help your child get ready to read. Anything you need to learn, you can discover at your library.”

A recent “Lunch at the Library” program served meals to children in 13 county locations, including Fair Oaks and Arcade libraries. “If kids are hungry, they can’t learn,” Rivkah explained.  “If kids are readers, they’re thinkers – and they can make a difference.”

“In a world where there is so much competition for our personal resources, it’s critical to know there’s an agency that can help stretch family dollars,” she says. “Many people don’t know it costs nothing to get a library card. Walking through the door and making that discovery is so important. I’m proud to be a librarian because we provide what anyone can take advantage of. We help people realize their dreams.”