Sixteen libraries across six states in just one week! That’s gotta be some kind of record for us. Actually, it probably isn’t given our race across Berkshire County or last year's journey through the South and Mid-Atlantic. But still, it was an awesome - and often inspirational - week! Strap yourself in friends, this recap may take a while!

Our ultimate destination was Bloomington, Indiana, where we would be speaking at the Monroe County Public Library for their staff training day. We were totally psyched to be invited and were also pumped to have a great reason to explore the Midwest.

The first stop of the week was the Akron-Summit Public Library in downtown Akron. We’d spent the previous night in Erie, Pennsylvania and rolled into town just before noon. The library wouldn’t open until 1:00 so we took some time to explore the city and grab some lunch. We also found ourselves looking for evidence of DEVO or Chrissie Hynde in the city of their birth.

The first thing we noticed as we drove around was that there were very few cars or people on the street. The city almost felt deserted. Luckily, we came across a group of bikers (pedal-powered) and asked for a lunch recommendation. We followed their advice and had not only a delicious lunch but also got some good intel on DEVO.

Lunch over and our curiosity piqued, we made our way to the library. This is a really amazing library. You'd never guess that it was open in 2004 because it feels much newer than that. The library offers an amazing collection and great services - art to borrow (thanks to a great partnership with the Akron Art Museum), an incredible LoT collection, studios, makerspace, meeting rooms, study rooms, and friendly staff who seemed to know a lot about DEVO).

We noticed cool glass floors on the stairs, which made us want to explore (but then, what doesn’t!). This library offers an incredible range of services: you can get a passport, register to vote, get advice on starting a business, conduct research, use a computer, borrow art, revive under a light therapy box, and so much more. Adam was thrilled to meet Bobbie Watson Whitaker, a reference librarian who knew DEVO before they were DEVO (circa 1970) how awesome is that? We saw some of her photos in an important tome called “DEVO: The Brand / DEVO: Unmasked” up in the huge local history and rare books area. A really fun, welcoming, and well-used community resource! Library Land Score: 4.55.

The Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington.

On Monday, we were in Bloomington and ready to visit the Monroe County Public Library in advance of speaking at the library’s Staff Training Day on Tuesday (fair disclosure: a paid appearance). It was President’s Day and at first, we were worried that the library might be closed. They certainly were in most places - but Bloomington was different. With school out for the holiday, they recognized that families would be looking for things to do and so they stay open on holidays. It was just a small hint of the creative and community-centric thinking that goes on in this library.

The CATS control room - and yes, this is part of the library.

The central library, very close to the University of Indiana, is an amazing place. It’s certainly one of the most complete and connected libraries we’ve visited. The collection - more than 400,000 items - is large and varied. As were its rich array of services. Here are a few highlights:

LevelUp - A digital creativity center that includes a green screen studio, two audio recording studios, and four high-end computers for editing. During our visit, all of these were in use every time we walked by.

CATS - This is the local access television station, which is operated by the library. We’ve visited several community access studios in our travels, but nothing to rival what we saw in Bloomington. There are a HUGE soundstage and a state-of-the-art digital control room. The hope is that people can move from learning editing through LevelUp to putting those skills to use (and learning new ones) at CATS.
The Children’s Room - Again, we see a lot of them. One of the standout features of this one was a special area for very young children (non-walkers).
The Teen Space - This one had a really amazing set of services and capabilities. There’s a nice mix of analog and digital resources and activities. One of our favorite stories about this room illustrates the library’s really positive way of engaging with patrons. The library’s director, Marilyn Wood, told us a really cool story about the room: One day, there was calligraphy left on a whiteboard. A teen came in and began talking about how cool it was and wondering who did it. It turns out that it was another teen. The library provided that teen the opportunity to put together a class to teach it to his peers - and it was a total hit!
Community Partnerships - The library has a super robust set of partners, including with VITAL, which provides adult language and literacy tutoring; El Centro Comunal Latino, a grassroots organization that provides information, access to resources, community events for all Latinx, with a focus on Spanish-speaking community members; and the aforementioned CATV.
Community Engagement - Beyond these formal partnerships, the library also has an active outreach and engagement program in place. The bookmobile, for example, makes 25 stops per week - and they are also doing programs with local bars and restaurants.
Spaces and Places - One of the frequent flashpoints in libraries is noise. We’ve seen many libraries that playfully call themselves “loudbraries” and a smaller number that still adhere to the “silence is golden” model. In Bloomington, they neatly split the difference with a wide variety of spaces that can be used by different patrons for different purposes. On the ground floor is an open seating area, on the second floor is “The Commons” where people can sit and chat, there is a separate silent reading room that has its aficionados. Near that closed room, there’s even a working fireplace to relax and read in front of. There are also dedicated spaces for programming, a beautiful theater (where we would present on Tuesday), and a large permanent bookstore run by the Friends.
Programming - This is an incredibly active library. Not only active but effective in promoting their offerings. For the months of January through April, the library published a beautiful 60-page guide of activities designed to help the community “read, learn, connect, and create.” We were super impressed.

After touring the library and talking with Director Wood, it’s fair to say we were just about bowled over. It was a really tremendous place. Library Land Score: 4.64

From the main library, we made our way to the Ellettsville Branch. What a great little branch library! The space was renovated and expanded in 2019 and it’s a thoroughly modern and comfortable facility. The kids have their own space, the teens have their own space, and there are plenty of places for everyone else.

One of the many awesome seating areas in Ellettsville.

Stephanie Holeman (aka Ms. Stephanie), the children’s librarian, showed us around. We were fortunate in our timing, for after 30 years she was retiring and moving to Maine. Her affection for - and knowledge of - her community was so impressive. She was rightly proud of many aspects of the vibrant space and the services provided.

One of the things she pointed out was the community/programming area. This is a large room - with high ceilings and tall windows - that can be divided and used for two events or programs if needed. For movies, there are blackout shades that transform the room into a theater. In a large closet off this room was an unbelievable collection of puppets - every creature or character you could imagine. It’s a real treasure that Stephanie has built up over her career and it will continue to serve the community’s kids far into the future.

Just a few of the puppets collected by Ms. Stephanie during her career.

We also visited the teen space. Wisely, this is separated from the rest of the library with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Inside, there is bleacher seating in front of a large TV, where a group of kids were playing video games. There were workspaces and kids were using these as well - and there were knots of teens here and there just being together. Again, this was a Monday holiday and the space was clearly a place where kids felt comfortable coming together.

The space, the staff, and the services at Ellettsville were all top-notch. Library Land Score: 4.73.

Tuesday was our big day in Bloomington. We spoke at the Staff Training Day and it was a total honor and a really good time. We talked a bit about the Library Land Project, described how we look at libraries, shared a few of our favorites, and discussed what goes into making a great library. It was a lot of fun and our comments were well-received. It’s the kind of thing we love doing - so if you’d like us to come and speak at your library, we’re all ears! One last point about these two libraries. Being part of a two-branch county system allows them to focus their budget and staff appropriately - there were 160 people invited to Staff Training Day.

At the library with Monroe County Public Library Director, Marilyn Wood.

Our speechifying finished, we prepared to head back east; but we were in no rush and planned to see as many libraries as possible along our route.

The only stop we made that day was at the Central Library in Indianapolis. It’s a wonderfully diverse urban library that combines the old and the new. The original section - caringly restored - dates from 1918, and the new building from 2005. Between the two is a six-story open glass atrium. It’s a pretty breathtaking space.

A lovely reading area at the library’s Center for Black Literature and Culture.

The 1918 building is home to the library’s inspiring Center for Black Literature and Culture. The space is huge with a giant cylindrical drum-shaped exhibit area and a working fireplace at one end. More important than the space is the mission - a celebration of the “vibrant and resilient heritage and triumphs of those born of African roots.” We spent time exploring and enjoyed it very much. The only thing we wish is that there would have been someone staffing the Center to walk us through the mission, the collection, and the impact of both on visitors and the community. We did learn that there are plans to bring on additional staff for the Center and that will be great.

The modern building has some amazing areas as well. A huge media collection takes up half a floor and the local history area on the top floor featured a large Suffrage Movement exhibit and, offered comfortable work areas and spectacular views.

In general, the condition was good but there were a few glaring issues - mostly around non-functional escalators. Given the size of the library, there seemed to be a dearth of staff in some areas. It meant we weren’t able to chat as much as we usually do. There is no Library of Things, which was a little surprising given the size and comprehensive nature of the overall collection.

Perhaps our favorite moment occurred just as we were leaving. On our way to the door, we bumped into a library staffer, who was at a technology help table in the atrium. She was there to familiarize patrons with the library's digital offerings and to help them get those services up and running on their own devices. She was more than happy to talk with us about the work and services - her enthusiasm was wonderful to see! Library Land Score: 4.55.

On Wednesday, we reached Cincinnati and saw three libraries in the area (well, four if you count a short detour into Kentucky).

Books being delivered to the Anderson Branch of the Cincinnati Public Library.

The Anderson Branch of the Cincinnati Public Library System was our first stop. It’s a relatively simple brick structure from the 1980s with the typical range of branch library services. It was busy during our visit and we came to learn that it’s one of the busier branches in the system. We worked at the library for a while, until the wifi started acting up and we decided to move on. Library Land Score: 3.73.

From there, we headed downtown to the central library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. It’s a curious place - in a good way. On the outside, the library is a series of big brick behemoths. The oldest section is from the 1950s, the next is from the 1980s, and the most recent from the 1990s. The later sections were intended to reflect the architecture of the earliest one. That seems like a strange concept, and like I said, it’s a curious building.

A laptop station at the Cincinnati Public Library.

But as with so many things, it’s what’s inside that really matters.

We entered the newest building, and the first space we saw was the library’s enormous makerspace. We love these places and the one in Cincinnati is one of the best we’ve seen. It has a really wide array of equipment and stations. Everything from the ubiquitous 3D printers to laser cutters to large format printers to large format scanners to a green screen to a podcast studio. During our visit, the place was teeming with people, including some kindly ladies scanning genealogical who suggested a great lunch spot. All of the equipment is used all day long.

Next, we visited the Cincinnati Room, which has some glass daguerreotype scenes of the Ohio River, and a really nice exhibit on the Suffrage Movement. We also had the chance to catch up with a lot of staffers around the library. Adam was especially grateful for the reference staff’s help in tracking down photos of the older opera house-style library that had once been among the city’s crown jewels.

Another cool thing we saw during our visit was an entrepreneurship workshop presented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. There were probably 60 or 70 people attending the event. We’re big fans of libraries as sites for these kinds of events - whether it’s connecting business owners with the resources they need or doing workforce development.

We did hear about a few things that left us scratching our heads. For example, the library has a million different permutations of library cards. There’s one for book club leaders, another for active-duty military, one for kids and teens (which can prohibit them from borrowing certain materials), one for digital-only resources, etc. It seemed like a really cumbersome system to manage!

During our visit, a couple of things came up again and again. One was that we had to go to Le’s Pho (which was amazing but has likely closed at this point) and the other was that we needed to visit the Mercantile Library. Library Land Score: 4.18.

Library Land is focused on public libraries, but we had to heed the advice of so many people and visit the Mercantile Library while we were in Cincinnati.

It's a beautiful room, tall and long, big windows, and lots of wood and leather. A graceful antique piano occupies one corner of the space. At either end of the room are the stacks. On one side they are older with beautiful glass floors, while at the opposite end they are modern (circa 2005) but still maintain the classic feeling of the entire library.

Up a spiral staircase, adorned with photos of past library presidents, is a beautiful meeting room that houses the library's original collection, rare books and a member's collection of decorative covers.

The meeting room at the Mercantile Library.

While the Mercantile Library is private, the public is welcome to use the inviting and peaceful space as a place to visit, work, or relax. Library Land Score: 4.09.

The Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library.

Just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati is the small city of Covington, Kentucky. We made the short drive to the Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library in mere minutes, but it felt a world (and a century) away from the Mercantile Library.

This was a really surprising place - and we mean that in the best possible way. The library is an important resource of the city’s homeless community as there is a shelter right next door. The library and the shelter occasionally collaborate on programs, as is the case with the library’s bike lending program. For many, lack of transportation is a real challenge to employment and the bikes help address this issue.

The Covington Library’s large format printer.

The library also has a nice little makerspace, a practical Library of Things collection (“Empowering Tools” for home repair), and multiple study rooms. There are also banks of public computers that were being used heavily during our visit. One interesting observation made by a library staffer is that conflicts over computer time (a frequent source of friction between patrons) have come way down. They attributed this to more people working and an uptick in the number of print books people are borrowing.

The library’s second floor houses a nice local history room and collection. There are also some really nice exhibits of community art on that second floor. While there was a visible police presence at the library, during our visit things were busy. but tranquil. Library Land Score: 4.27.

When Instagram gets you down, libraries are there to help!

After Covington, we headed north and stopped at the Madden Hills Branch of the Dayton Metro Library System. It’s a smallish cinder block building with two ells. One is a children’s/teen area (which was filled with kids studying, chatting, and horsing around) and the other a small adult collection, that included books, large print, and media.

This is a well-used and well-loved public library - but there’s no denying that it’s in rough shape from a facilities perspective. But as we often point out, looks aren’t everything and we were welcomed so warmly and saw so much happening in the space that we came away with a really positive feeling. Adam was also saved from an Instagram posting issue thanks to a copy of “Instagram for Dummies” on a nearby shelf!. Library Land Score: 3.73.

We carried on north to Piqua, Ohio to see the Piqua Public Library. This was one that Adam was really interested in visiting and when we arrived it was easy to understand why. What a special place!

The Piqua Public Library is located in what was once a grand hotel.

The building was once a luxury hotel that had fallen into a sad state of disrepair. As the downtown changed, there were plans to raze the building. Thankfully, as often the case in situations like this, the community stepped up, purchased the building, and stopped the wrecking ball from swinging.

Today, the library is just one tenant in a really beautiful and historic space. It feels, as Adam rightly pointed out, like the hotel in The Shining (but way less ominous), with wonderful echoes of the building’s past opulence.

A few items from the Hotel Favorite’s past.

The other outstanding thing about the library was staff that we had the opportunity to meet. Both at the information desk and in the local history room, we had long and engaging conversations. In both spaces, you could sense the pride people felt for their library - not simply as a space, but as a service to the community. Library Land Score: 4.45.

The next morning, we found ourselves at the Downtown Branch of the Guernsey County Public Library in Cambridge, Ohio. This is a small early Carnegie that was expanded in the 1980s and updated again in 2014. It's one of three libraries serving a county of 44,000. It's not fancy, but it's neat, clean, and totally serviceable.

There are a couple of study rooms (one of which we used for a client call) and plenty of comfortable spots for reading and chatting. There's a nearby homeless shelter and that accounts for many patrons.

The interior of the Cambridge Public Library.

This is an aging community so large print books circulate pretty heavily. The library also has "adventure bags," which include passes to local parks, guide books, binoculars, and more. Soon, the library bookmobile will once again be hitting the road to bring books and other library services to those living in more rural parts of the county, including local Amish and Mennonite communities.

As one of the librarians commented, the library is one of the few places for leisure left in Cambridge so it sees a pretty constant flow of people - both in its main sections and in its nice local history room. Library Land Score: 4.36.

The Ohio County Public Library, in Wheeling West Virginia.

Eastward we continued, arriving in Wheeling, West Virginia just in time for lunch. After some delicious fish sandwiches and a little shopping, we made our way to the Ohio County Public Library.

It’s kind of a renegade library, with no formal affiliation to any other library or library system. It’s also a little deceptive as it is much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. There’s quite a large collection, including some nice non-circulating items that are currently on display as part of the town's 250th anniversary.

There are plenty of meeting spaces in the library's basement, as well as a large auditorium that seats about 100 people. There was free tax help going on during the visit and the library prides itself on the adult programming it offers. We met with two very nice library staffers but, unfortunately, Adam had a pretty negative experience with the genealogist, who wouldn't let him into the history room. Thankfully, we had a totally different experience with Librarian Sean Duffy, who is a friend of one of Adam’s Boston-based friends. Sean gave us two fascinating books on the history of the community that he co-authored. Library Land Score: 4.00.

Our final library of the day was the one we’d been waiting for: The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh! It felt like the mothership of Carnegie libraries and was a really big and beautiful space. Richard Kaplan, the Manager of Reference Services, was kind enough to show us around this amazing library.

With Richard Kaplan in the glass floored stacks - and look at the dinosaur out the window!

We've been to many Carnegies, but this one is certainly very special. There are all kinds of different spaces - from what may be the first children's room in any library, to a lovely periodicals area with an open courtyard to a whole room devoted to graphic novels to an expansive art/music section, to a comfortable cafe to floors and floors of open glass stacks! The library has it all, and then some. During our visit, we saw a yoga class gathering, someone practicing piano (with headphones), lots of folks working quietly, plenty of friends chit-chatting - and of course, people reading. Heck, Adam even got to play a theremin!

Adam tries his hand playing the theremin.

While the architecture was beautiful and the collection out of this world, the most striking thing about the library was the staff. Every person we crossed paths with stopped to ask if we needed help. Every. Single. One. We mentioned this to one person and she said that customer service was a huge part of everyone’s role. It was really notable and made our visit awesome! Library Land Score: 4.64.

A wall of glazes in the Braddock pottery and ceramics studio.

The next day, we decided to follow Richard’s advice and made our way to the Braddock Carnegie Library in Braddock, Pennsylvania. We’ve already written an in-depth look at this first Carnegie library in the United States, but the short version is that this is one of the most wonderful and inspiring libraries we’ve ever visited. They are embarking on a $15 million dollar capital campaign to restore this fantastic library to an updated version of its past splendor. If you ever have the chance, visit. Even if you don’t have the chance, consider contributing to the effort! Library Land Score: 4.27.

The Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County.

After Braddock, we hot-footed up toward Syracuse, where we had plans to meet some of Adam’s old college classmates for dinner. But, of course, we had to stop in at least one library along the way, and that library was the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, New York. It was a super short visit because we arrived near closing time.

Being crackerjack library visitors, we were able to see quite a lot in our brief time. A few of the highlights are the library’s Fredrick Douglass collection and local history room. As with so many libraries, this one includes two buildings - the Rundel Memorial Building (opened in 1936) and the Bausch and Lomb Public Library Building (opened in 1997), which is somewhat disjointed (literally) since it is built across the street. Work is currently underway to improve the space and services and connecting tunnels, and we expect the renovated spaces will be something when they are complete. Library Land Score: 4.45.

The last library of the week was the Fayetteville Free Library in Fayetteville, New York. It’s a super lovely library located in the old Stickley Furniture factory. As a result, the library features a ton of great original and reproduction furniture and a Stickley Museum. Of all the spaces, the reading room, in particular, is a handsome room, which features not only great furniture but also a nice cafe.

The periodical/reading room at the Fayetteville Free Library - featuring a ton of Stickley furniture.

While the collection is not large, the library is part of a network. We often ask about what items are getting the most circulation. It was interesting to hear that the two parts of the print collection that are growing are large print and travel.

The library has a number of rooms and hallways which give it a fun and homey feel. There are two study rooms, a technology room, an adult computer lab (with almost 20 machines), an awesome kids area and - most amazing of all - the “Fab Lab.” This last space is especially noteworthy. It has ten sewing machines, eight 3D printers, a robotics area, die-cut and laser cutting machines, and a sweet workshop. There is also a ton of programming at the library. During our visit, they were doing a “Ballerina Story Time” and the place was packed with kids in tutus and leotards - and at least one adult “Princess.”

Upstairs from the library is the great Stickley Museum.

After touring the library, we went up to the Stickley Museum, and that was also an amazing and notable space. We both enjoyed speaking with Amanda Clifford, director of the museum. What a wonderful way to keep the history and output of the Stickley company in a vibrant, creative library. All in all, a great experience. Library Land Score: 4.55.

What an amazing week in Library Land!

We’ll have to see what effect the Coronavirus will have on our Library Land travels. We know many libraries are closing to help slow the spread of the disease. We’ll be talking with libraries about how they are planning to adapt to these new circumstances and will share what we learn here.

The Week in Library Land: February 16 to February 22

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