A community nexus: Profiling libraries and their staff

Many people associate libraries with dullness and rigidity. Librarians have long been associated with a stereotype of harsh and inflexible figures; libraries revere the old and are “out-of-touch.” I’ve hardly used the library. For most of my life, I have had little understanding of how a library might be of use beyond a place to borrow books, or for those in need, a place to stay warm. This past week, over the phone, I interviewed two seasoned members of library staff: Eli Neiburger, executive director of the Ann Arbor District Library System, and Koren Stembridge, the library director at Cary Memorial Library in my hometown of Lexington, Mass. As I prepared for these interviews, I didn’t consider my understanding of library resources as relevant to me. 

Still, I would find myself at the public library for any number of reasons, whether to attend a concert or to assist in a theater performance for children. These occasional but continuous interactions with the public library prompted me to want to explore them more. I didn’t encounter tedious and rigid organizations set in their ways. Rather, I discovered three highly responsive organizations that serve several essential functions for the health and growth of their communities. Through these profiles, I hope to demonstrate the diverse ways libraries operate within their communities based on their varying resources and needs, in addition to covering how each facet of that work serves an often under-celebrated cultural purpose. 

“The 800 Pound Gorilla”

This is how Neiburger, who graduated from the University of Michigan in the late ’90s, describes the Ann Arbor District Library and its power to facilitate resources in service to smaller organizations. As the “800-pound gorilla,” the AADL acts as a key distributor for smaller nonprofits, whether for space, information, printing or supplies. It operates as an independent public library. With seven trustees, 220 employees and six locations, annual operating revenue reaches $20 million. 

“Every library will surprise its patrons,” Neiburger said. As he proceeded to list a multitude of offerings, he surprised me. Most unique was the tools collection, a resource that allows patrons to borrow a variety of items from the library. These items are as diverse as they are eccentric, with their offerings including telescopes, thermal leak detectors, projectors, sewing machines, a giant Connect 4 game and various musical instruments. One patron, Neiburger mentioned, recorded an entire album only using instruments they checked out from the library. Another patron opened an exhibit at the library using a pinhole camera they made at a library event a few years earlier. A seed distribution program for gardeners is slated to start again soon. As plants blossom in surprising ways, the public library becomes an unexpected space, using its facilities and draw, for artists to nurture their growth. From these resources, one can see tangible results. 

AADL not only works to create programs to aid the development of its community’s artistic pursuits, but also seeks to bring more artists to their branches with an emphasis on greater inclusivity in their artist selection. A few events from this February include a Civic Improv performance, a 3D printing open lab, Drag Bingo and the Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Expo. This past fall, I aided in the setup of a children’s theater performance put on by Black and Brown Theatre at AADL’s 5th Avenue location. While a fee comes with using many other performance venues, attending the library’s venues are free, providing a great platform for growing organizations and budding artists. Organizations like AADL become centers for new ideas. 

With a giant of an institution like the University of Michigan also based in Ann Arbor, one might think that the University might take precedence over the library in regards to the opportunities it can provide. However, Neiburger observes that while the University as a whole has access to more resources than AADL, because it exists more similarly to “3,000 different departments flying in close formation” rather than a singular entity, the library, “larger than most individual University departments,” can offer more extensive resources. Thus, groups on and off campus seek out “much-needed support and audience” from AADL. 

It’s important to note that many public libraries, including AADL, do not only provide programming that engages with artistic programs, but also the practical and essential needs of the community. For instance, the state Department of Health and Human Services still sends COVID-19 tests to AADL to help Ann Arbor keep its community safe, without cost. The library partners with external services to offer English language tutoring for Hispanic families. More recently, AADL has also installed Narcan vending machines across locations for free access to Naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. To help younger people establish a relationship with the library, just about every second grader in an Ann Arbor public school is scheduled to embark on a field trip where they will acquire their library card. 

Sometimes, libraries assume community responsibilities that they don’t necessarily have the resources to take on. For AADL, there is sometimes a struggle with mentally ill patrons at their branches. The privatization of mental health care across the country, in large part as a response to policies enacted by Reagan through the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act — as well as a lengthy history of neglect for the mentally ill in Michigan — means that many mentally ill people struggle to find care, and, as Neiburger notices, many struggling people seek out the library.

Neiburger took care to distinguish mentally ill patrons and homeless patrons in their library; the former more likely to cause issues due to their lack of care, with the latter rarely causing issues.

He explained, “Some of those mentally ill patrons may be unhoused, but for the most part, … It’s people who are just struggling, and there’s only so much we’re able to do. We can connect them to resources. We’re not a healthcare institution, not a mental healthcare institution. We’re not a housing organization, but we are the catch-all. That is, when other services are eroded, harder to access or useful to people in need, that usually hits the public library first.”

Neiburger also made sure to emphasize that as a public library, their services are for everyone — and it’s inherent to the job to help. He says, “the library is a place where people who are struggling try to find solutions, whether looking for housing, healthcare, legal assistance, a warm place to go or a way to get on Facebook.”

One Thing Libraries Aren’t These Days Is Quiet

Many have long characterized books as a struggling medium, or libraries as outdated establishments — but one 2013 study from the Pew Research Center found that Americans under 30 are just as likely to visit the library as older patrons, and even more likely to use the technological resources at the library. To some extent, this data maybe could be skewed by “required” excursions such as student field trips. After all, the study also found that younger generations are less likely to call the library important to them and their families. However, whether one is the patron at AADL who ran an exhibit with photos from his pinhole camera, an unhoused patron or a patron embarking on a research project, relationships with libraries are built over time. Younger patrons, especially while focused on school, will have had less time to establish these relationships.

With differing needs between the communities they’re in a relationship with, large urban libraries must place a different emphasis on their programming than small, mostly affluent cities like Ann Arbor. In fact, libraries serve as an important center for distributing information to its community, whether that is for job applications, special campaigns, help with taxes, discounts or access to programs. One Chicago library began offering Wi-Fi printing, where every patron is granted 10 free pages a day. If one needs a meeting space for their group or organization, the library provides it. Alternatively, if one just needs to get out of the heat or the cold, the library provides warming centers in the winter and cooling centers in the summer. As a fine-free library, if one returns a book late, there is no penalty.

But as Neiburger explained, sometimes situations arise that the library can’t help with. With cutbacks on social services, libraries often experience issues dealing with patrons with mental health issues and library employees must know that “sometimes can’t help with an outburst or a moment.” This doesn’t mean that patrons struggling the most are underserved. Because of the assortment of expanding needs in libraries, one thing libraries aren’t these days is quiet. Perhaps a place of solitude for some, but also a bustling site of exchange for many.

“If You Feel Lost, Start Here”

Stembridge began her work in librarianship as a children’s librarian at the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, Mass., a moderately-sized town 30 minutes northwest of Boston — famously where the first shot of the Revolutionary War was fired. This is where I grew up. I got my first library card at this library, which still can be found in my wallet. This is where, on a few occasions, I went to study with friends. A friendly atmosphere drifted through the building, though especially as a younger kid, I always thought the second floor felt stuffy. 

About 10 years before the internet would allow for multitudes at the edge of our fingertips, Stembridge “wanted to be in a space where I could always be curious.” Now in the executive position at Lexington’s public library, finding reasons to be curious continues to be of little trouble.

“The job constantly changes,” Stembridge says. She considers Cary Memorial Library to be the “best case scenario” for a library as they have “funding, ample staffing, beautiful building and appreciative community.”

Stembridge describes that, as much as possible, the library tries to let the community guide the library’s direction in service. She finds this goal particularly important as demographics change, with Asian immigration in particular sprouting some of the largest and most active groups in town, such as the Chinese Americans of Lexington and Indian Americans of Lexington.

Thus, in 2016, the library constructed a world language section. Recently, staff realized that the location of that section toward the back made it appear relegated to the rest of the library’s offerings, which, given the large immigrant population, doesn’t reflect Lexington’s community needs. The library decided to renovate to provide more room and make the world language section a greater centerpiece. Some close partnerships have helped the library determine what to buy in foreign languages, as the staff can’t read most of the languages featured. 

Stembridge shared that she’d like the makeup of Cary’s library staff to become more diverse. She relayed that over 70% of librarianship in the United States is white. Anti-racist work in libraries has a long way to go, and in particular, there’s a lot of work to be done in “removing barriers’’ to the library for potential employees. Before the pandemic, Stembridge would describe Cary Memorial Library as a “multicultural organization” but not yet working to be an “anti-racist organization.” Stembridge emphasized that they are “fortunate to do that work instead of working on social problems,” that there isn’t a need for Cary Memorial Library to instead focus significant energy on providing warming and cooling rooms, washer and dryers and free lunch programs like libraries in the system of which Avery works.

Whether it’s one’s research or community, in describing the work that Cary Memorial Library does, Stembridge said, “If you’re feeling lost, start here.” She highlighted a few recent events in particular that exemplify this message: First, a partnership with a school for girls. The library’s Teen Services Manager has started a book club with the school that has seen lots of success constructing strong bonds around shared experience. The yearly LEGO extravaganza sees a sizable turnout while quirky, low-key events like Carybokaflod, inspired by the Icelandic holiday Jolabokafloð, gave patrons an opportunity for calm.

She continues that she’s “surprised how much our community (is) craving warm, gentle moments to be with each other and appreciate what we have. It’s been a tough few years for everyone, and those moments of calm and kindness are very purposeful.”

Beyond the relationships built through the library, Stembridge also finds value in that as facts become suspect in our world, trustworthy sources of information are becoming increasingly important. In this way, the work that a library emphasizes may be highly situational depending on both its community and the current of a broader culture. Of the former, she recalls a bad snowstorm a few years ago in which many residents lost power that reminds her that sometimes, “a situational response” is needed. During this storm, the library remained open extra hours, distributed water and even bought extra phone chargers.

Alternatively, Stembridge explains that the town of Lexington is known for its incredibly educated residents, some of whom are recognized for their work in various distinguished fields. Once, she recalls, a woman came up to the desk and mentioned that her husband was a Nobel laureate and asked if anyone would be interested in him giving a talk. She describes one of Cary’s opportunities as a library in its specific community is it can host “incredible people doing incredible work in the community (who) can tell their neighbors about it.”

Conclusion

These libraries, the AADL and the Cary Memorial Library, demonstrate the library as facilitator extraordinaire, cultural tempo and social service to the communities it serves. The offerings of each organization, whether a Narcan vending machine, Wi-Fi printing with free pages or a carefully planned and replanned world language section, demonstrate these libraries as highly creative organizations anticipating the needs of their patrons. Without a library, each of these communities — given how central and extensive it is to the function of community members’ basic, social and intellectual needs — would likely be left with a void large enough to fill a few minor state departments. This success roots in an organizational focus on building relationships and a thorough understanding of who specifically they serve.

After conducting interviews, I realized that I also could benefit from the library. Fittingly, the message from my hometown library called to me. “Moments of calm and kindness” sound like a quality that I am either missing or need more of right now in my life. Importantly, this is not all Cary has to offer. Another member of the Lexington community may be drawn to specific reflections and results of the anti-racist work that Cary Memorial seeks to accomplish. These differences in needs are in large part why libraries appear so multifaceted, sometimes to the point of confusion. It’s difficult to see what strings together pinhole cameras, Drag Bingo and books, or being fine-free, providing parents early learning tips and books, or an adaptation of an Icelandic holiday, LEGOS and books. What libraries have been doing with increasing success is, with pure motivation, plainly reflecting who we are and who we could be, which is a wonderful opportunity for a mystery to unravel.

Statement Correspondent Nate Sheehan can be reached at nsheehan@umich.edu.