We are an Anchor Institution

Did you know that you are a part of an “anchor” institution? You are! This was the term used by Diane Brown, Deputy State Librarian at the State Library of Louisiana, who led a recent disaster training workshop at Williamson County Public Library. With about 17,000 public libraries in the U.S., covering a total of over 3,100 counties, that averages out to five libraries per county in our country. When I thought of this statistic, I thought: “She’s right, we are an anchor institution.”

Brown shared with us about the experiences of Louisiana libraries during several major disasters they’ve endured, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They learned a lot from that experience. One of the most important lessons was that FEMA did not recognize public libraries as “essential services” back in 2005, and thus those facilities which lost buildings due to flooding were not eligible for temporary spaces or Federal funding. (They are now!)

Do you know one reason why FEMA ended up recognizing public libraries as essential? Because when first responders and victims of the disaster needed a safe space to rest and use the internet or computers to file FEMA paperwork, where did they send them? To the public libraries that were still operational! Though public libraries faced their own crises with damage and staff loss of property, they continued to provide services as much as possible to their communities. It was truly awe-inspiring to hear the stories.

The biggest take-away from this meeting was the importance of public libraries to be involved in the community before disaster hits. She said there was a huge difference in an example of two libraries struck by disaster, one of which the librarian was very active in community meetings, the other not. The first was able to get funding and rebuild. The second, is still not back in service. Relationships matter.

Our Director is a wonderful community networker, and I know that she will be able to easily get us a seat at the table among officials and first-responders for future disaster preparedness meetings. This is critical for us to be able to play not only the role we know we can, but be recognized from the beginning by all the services at the time of a disaster as a place for providing help.

All LPLS staff have a role to play in this, as we interact with community members on a daily basis. Take the time to proactively share what we offer as a library, from books to WiFi and computers to the driver’s license kiosk to notary services. All of these are truly critical needs when disaster strikes, whether you see that now or not. Your role in spreading the word helps people to remember when they’re traumatized: “Oh, even though we’ve lost our home, we can go to the library to get on the computer.”

Building relationships benefits everyone in a time of crisis, though I pray we won’t have to face one anytime soon!

The Selfless Servant

A colleague recently shared a book with me entitled: The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson. It had a very interesting article by Dorothy Lazard called, “Practicing Seva” (from the Sikh notion of selfless service). She talks about the increased role libraries are having in providing service to the homeless and untreated ill, especially as large psychiatric hospitals have continued to close over the years.

Lazard says, “We library workers are, in practical terms, surrogates for shuttered schools, parks, hospitals, and homes. And we know we are hopelessly unqualified to treat what ails many of the people who pass through our doors.” What librarians do, even with this influx of complicated patronage, is to carry on selfless service. “We are acting,” according to Lazard, “as the last outposts of community space.”

Librarians are trained to be polite, patient, and helpful, no matter who stands across from the reference desk. The most important thing is that we look them in the eye and take them seriously…And if our work calms someone’s demons or teaches someone else how to treat the mentally ill with respect, then I am proud to be a part of the process.

While this article did not encourage me much about the future of society in general, it did remind me that librarians can still be examples to others in how to deal with all members of our community. There may be times when a situation requires intervention from authorities, because someone has gone off their meds or added too much alcohol to their system, but in general, we are able to provide that safe space even for those who are living in another reality.

Knowing our patrons by name is a first step to building a comfortable environment for all, as we treat each person with respect as a fellow human being. It’s a challenge on some days, but is part of what makes the library such an important part of every community. I’m glad to be a part of that, and I hope you are too.

The Embedded Librarian

I recently attended a tri-regional in-service in Brentwood, TN, which dealt with analyzing community trends and telling the library’s story by gathering data. Much of what was discussed, we were already doing at our library system, as our current strategic plan process jump-started our awareness of this concept and helped us learn new ways to gather data and access our services.

One aspect of this process that is crucial for us to be engaged in on an on-going basis is looking at community trends. We were fortunate in having the great committee of community members to give us that baseline in community vision, but it’s important to realize that this is not a one-time issue. As communities grow and change, vision changes; new things change the nature of who we are and what’s happening in our area. Because of this, we as librarians need to be constantly listening to our patrons and citizens at large.

The seminar facilitator mentioned the idea of The Embedded Librarian. It refers to proactive efforts on the part of EVERY library staff member to be intentional about building relationships in the community. Each of us are parts of groups or organizations outside of the library. Are we listening to conversations with our library in mind?

Another idea was to seek to have coffee or meet with someone new in the community. Think of these two Community Reference Questions:

•  What are your concerns about our community?
•  What is one thing you feel we're not addressing?

Whether we meet new people or hear ideas through groups we're a part of, it is important to share what we hear with library leadership. When we see a new trend happening in our communities, maybe this is an area the library can engage, partner or provide a new service.

Our tag line at Linebaugh Public Library System is Explore, Imagine, Engage. This works for us as staff members as well. The more we, as staff, explore and engage with our community “outside” the walls of the library, the more we can imagine new ways to serve and add value back to those around us through targeted materials and programming.

I encourage you to become an embedded librarian! It’s for a good cause.