Egan, centre, with Blue Rodeo (Photo: Dustin Rabin)

On Aug. 20, Blue Rodeo performed its final show with longtime pedal steel player Bob Egan who, after playing with the band for more than 17 years, has moved on to a new job with the Kitchener Public Library.

Egan originally hails from Minnesota, and spent the late 1990s with the band Wilco. He recently became a father at age 59 and, having turned 60, now says he’s ready for a new challenge that will keep him closer to home. One of his first acts as the southern Ontario library’s manager of community connection and development will be funding and creating a new digital media studio.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Egan called the Kitchener library, which completed a $40-million renovation in 2014, an “architectural jewel.” “Libraries are in transition and they’re on the cusp of a revolution,” he told CP. “We’re seeing in communities across Canada they are becoming valued cultural institutions.”