More than a Month in Library Land - May 25th - July 1st
Slowly but surely, things are returning to normal in Library Land. Over the past month, there have been more than ten library visits in four states. Light by pre-pandemic standards to be sure, but a hopeful sign of things to come! We also got to see and hear about some of the very different ways libraries are managing the post-pandemic situation.
I was recently in Florida to visit family and used the trip as an opportunity to visit four libraries in the state. Two in Orlando, and two in Sarasota. The first visit was to the Winter Garden Branch of the Orange County Library System on May 25th. The library was opened in 2002, and remains in outstanding condition. While the age doesn’t show in terms of wear and tear, it does show in terms of design. There’s nothing wrong with the library, but it’s an example of a library designed right on the cusp of the information deluge that is the internet.
Gotta love the oranges!
In an awesome display of library adaptability, here’s how they have managed their space and services. Things were closed for six weeks at the start of the pandemic. Then, delivery started. Now, things are closer to normal, with occupancy up to 40 percent. The library is essentially one large space, with smaller rooms - including a computer lab - along one wall. These were closed during my visit. To meet the needs of the community, programming was moved online. This opened up considerable space in the main area to relocate the public computers. To provide for social distancing, each computer stood alone and were arrayed on the floor in a grid. It seemed like a sensible approach, and they were seeing heavy usage.
Masks were not required and there was no signage explaining a mask policy. The staff and patrons were mixed and I was told that mask compliance actually went up when the signs came down! We’re a strange species.
From Winter Garden, I drove over to the West Oaks Branch. It’s just a few minutes away and I’ll tell you, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to find a library close by! This branch was slightly smaller than Winter Garden. It is of the same vintage and design. The library has both a programming room and a tech/education classroom, but neither were open during my visit.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the West Oaks Branch is the fact that it is the home to the County Library System’s genealogy collection. As is true at so many libraries, these are popular and well-used resources at West Oaks. Usage was obviously higher before the pandemic, but it is picking up again and virtual genealogy programs have resumed. Fun fact: they have a microfilm reader!
The next day, I made my way to the Gulf Gate Library in Sarasota. It’s an open and airy building with lots of earth tones. Fiction, DVDs, kids, and new arrivals are on the first floor with non-fiction and teens on the second. They have a very large teen space up there. The staff was masked, but patrons were mixed.
One really nice feature is an outdoor reading area. Unfortunately, the door appears to be pretty heavy and I saw someone struggle with the door - until a helpful priest arrived to lend a hand. There are plenty of places to sit and work, as well as a good number of public computers. Study rooms were closed on my visit.
I headed over to the Fruitville Branch. I really loved the open book sculpture in front of the library. This is a pretty lovely library and was probably my favorite of the four I visited on this trip. It was also the busiest. It’s one large room with a separate children’s area. An outdoor reading garden was also notable. I also had a nice chat with the reference librarian, who hails from North Adams, Massachusetts.
Back in New England, my travels took me to Rhode Island, where I had a nice visit to the Pawtucket Public Library. Despite living just a short distance away, I don’t come to Pawtucket that often. A few times for PawSox games back before they moved to Worcester; for a tattoo a couple of years ago; and I think for a model train expo years ago when my kids were young.
The library is made up of two sections. The older section, which opened in 1902, was originally known as the Deborah Cook Sayles Public Library. As with so many libraries, it’s seen a few waves of renovations over the years. The large crystal chandelier, for example, was added in the 1960s, and new balconies were added sometime in the 1970s. One thing of note about the library and the balconies. It was among the first to have open stacks and it has glass floors!
The building is in generally good condition and features some amazing architectural details. The tall columns that surround the central reference area, for example, have lovely golden capitals. There are spaces and places where things are in less than perfect shape but they are easy to overlook.
The older section of the library houses reference and the non-fiction collections. There’s a computer lab, as well as some study spaces that were very quiet during my visit. It was raining hard when I arrived, which might explain why there were so few people using the library. That said, it was being used, with a family in the computer area and a few people working here and there.
The newer section started life as a Post Office, and then a Social Security office. On the first floor are the adult stacks. I made a stop in the children’s room on the second floor of the building and had a nice chat with the children’s librarian. She reported that things were pretty quiet there these days, with programming having moved online. Hopefully, with warmer weather and more people vaccinated, we’ll see more in-person programming soon!
Next up was the East Providence Public Library. You will be forgiven if you - like me - assumed this was a library in the eastern part of Providence. East Providence is its own city and has not one but two public libraries! This one is nice, it has an older building that houses the children’s area and a meeting room, and a newer building that houses the bulk of the collection.
There are study rooms (I was able to actually use one!), a nice computer area, and plenty of spaces for quiet reading. An adult literacy agency is also housed in the library. I spent quite a bit of time talking with the reference librarian, who was more than happy to discuss the library and its services. When I walked in, I hadn’t noticed any signs regarding masks, and asked about it since she was wearing one. It turns out I had walked by FOUR signs saying masks were recommended for unvaccinated people! How did I miss them?
While the library is lovely, the grounds around it are really outstanding - for a few reasons. First, the library recognized the need to provide better wifi access outdoors, so there are boosters outside the building. There is also a really nice green space next to the library that has seating and an amazing giant old tree. Finally, there’s a farmer’s market at the library every Thursday. A really outstanding small library!
Adam earned the award for the most distant library visit with his trip to the Vancouver Public Library in Washington State on June 14. He was out there for his son’s graduation (congratulations, Sawyer!) in Oregon, and wisely tacked on a library visit. This wasn’t just any visit though, he was on a mission to meet Carmen Getz, the library’s public services assistant. We’d been talking with Carmen over email about speaking at their Staff Training Day in the Fall and wanted to put a face to the name.
Carmen, Adam and a great big green LIBRARY sign!
Adam loved being greeted in the lobby by Carmen, and she gave a great tour of the exciting five-floor modern building. Vancouver has grown and benefitted from an influx of people priced out of Portland or seeking a smaller community feel. All patrons and staff were masked, and 30 patrons was the allowed occupancy during his visit. There’s a fantastic outdoor deck spanning the whole side on the top floor, and a really creative interactive Early Learning Center, that the library hopes will be open again in August. We look forward to “visiting” again online with the staff at the Staff Day.
The next library was closer to home. The Millis Public Library is just a few miles from my home and I was there to interview for a position as an on-call substitute library worker. We’ve long been fans of this library - from its distinctive Oudens Ello architecture to its great library of things collection to its proximity - and it would be a treat to work there from time-to-time!
Speaking of being closer to home, Adam has so much going on - all of it good - and one of those things is moving out to Lancaster. We’ve visited the Thayer Memorial Library there in the past, but I wanted to visit again to make sure Adam would be well served. What started as a simple idea somehow ballooned into THREE visits in one day! Let me explain . . .
I arrived at the library at about 11:30 a.m. As I was walking toward the library, a man was walking from the library pushing a cart. I wasn’t paying close attention and assumed it was a batch of books out for interlibrary loan. I walked inside and went upstairs. It was eerily quiet. I began looking around. No one. I stopped to read a series of posters on COVID. One of them said: “There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19.” I stepped back, dizzy to the possibility that I had fallen backward in time to the peak of the pandemic!
I reeled around the entryway. Still, there was no one. In a frenzy to reach some solid temporal ground, I burst through the front door and into the searing sun. I checked my phone. It was June, 29, 2021. Confused and still doubting my sanity, I decided to reenter the library to recheck the sign. The door was locked.
The heat, I thought, as I made my way back to the door I originally entered, must be playing tricks on me. I tried the door. It, too, was locked. Was this whole episode some kind of crazy hallucination? Had the heat tricked me into only thinking I’d been inside? Was there some kind of time warp in play? Growing terrified, I raced to my car. Thankfully, it was right where I’d parked it mere minutes before.
As I sat trying to make sense of my situation, another car pulled up. Out stepped someone I could just tell was a librarian. If anyone could help me, it would be a librarian! As I explained my situation, she helped me make sense of it. It turns out, the library was closed until noon and I had somehow slipped in before the door had automatically relocked behind the custodian. Thank goodness!
Adam and I had a Zoom scheduled for noon and I’d hoped to do it at the library - but their meeting rooms weren’t open yet. Instead, I sat outside. When the meeting was over, I suddenly remembered - the sign! How could it be explained? Had that been some cosmic mix up too?
Breaking out in fresh cold sweat, I inched my way back into the library. I slowly walked to where I had seen the poster. I stood before it and still, it read, “NO VACCINE.” Was I in some kind of anti-vaxx bubble? I found the librarian I’d met outside and brought her to the sign. Ah, yes, out of date, she agreed, needs to be updated. Still a little bewildered, I thanked her for restoring me to my senses and went on my way.
Later that same day, Adam and I met back at the library. I walked him through all of the mysterious events of the morning, culminating with the still strangely inaccurate sign.What a strange, strange day!
These travels concluded earlier today with a visit to the Franklin Public Library. This one will always have a special place in the annals of Library Land. It was the 100th library we visited, way back on New Year’s Eve day, 2018. It’s a really fantastic library. I love being able to look at the original collection - donated by Benjamin Franklin - and to enjoy its massive main reading room. This was my first visit back since the pandemic and it felt good. It’s also so good to see so many other people using and enjoying the library.
The always elegant Franklin Public Library.
A lot has changed over the past 18 months. Public libraries have managed a difficult situation - heck, a cascade of truly terrible choices and challenges. Now that they are returning to some sort of normal, we have to show our appreciation and support. If nothing else, pay a visit to your local library, remember the special role they play in your community and every community, contact policy makers to tell them how much the library matters to you, and give - if you can - to support the work they are doing for us all.