The Grand Tour, Part II

On the way back to the main branch, Joanne and I stopped for lunch at a deli, where we talked libraries some more. (Thanks Joanne for treating, and especially for splurging on a slice of the gooey butter cake. You were right: it was delicious.)

Among the interesting tidbits I learned was that e-books aren't quite as economical as I had previously thought. Apparently the library can only let out an e-book twenty-seven times before they have to purchase a new one. This is the number that the manufacturers settled upon for how many times a hardcover book can be lent out before it has deteriorated to the point where the library needs to purchase a new copy. (Although Joanne and I both agree that, if well-tended, a hardcover can last for significantly longer than that.) On one hand, this makes sense. The e-book manufacturers need to make money somehow, and that's not going to happen if they sell one copy to a library and it lasts indefinitely. On the other hand, this is not logical at all. Why spend money from an already tight budget to replace a perfectly good product? Joanne asked if I had studied the popularity of e-books in relation to their comparatively more expensive cost. I have not, but it would be an interesting trend to chart.

Speaking of the budget, I was treated to the saga of Skip Auld, the former DPL director and a SILS alumnus. Skip was apparently one of those people that you either loved or didn't care for at all, and I suspect that Joanne falls into the latter category. I get the impression that Skip was a bit of a pushover when it came to protecting the library's resources. When the county mentioned budget cuts to him, he agreed straight away and volunteered to cut other resources and services without consulting the appropriate staff members. One of those staff members was Lynn in the NC Collection, although she managed to preserve a fair amount of her material. More about Lynn in the next post though.

In the end, Skip was "let go" by the county. The new director, Tammy, seems to be more well-liked overall by the staff. She's working to get the library's budget back to where it was before the reign of Skip and seems to be doing a good job of it. DPL's current budget is actually quite stable, helped in no small part by the community's support.

The Grand Tour

Today was an enlightening one. As part of my education, Joanne took me with her while she ran some errands at a couple of the other branches of DPL. Outings with her are enjoyable; I get the impression that she knows all there is to know about the history of Durham, down to every last building. It's also an opportunity to pick her brain about whatever library-related questions I might have. More on that later.

The first branch we stopped by was the Stanford L. Warren branch, which is a compact, handsome building not too far away from the main library. Joanne explained that this branch used to be the historical black library of Durham, and that heritage is very evident. Photos from when the library was still segregated line the walls and plaques and portraits near the entrance pay homage to the gentlemen that founded and supported the branch. It's a tiny library--there are only fifteen or so parking spaces--but there's a great sense of pride in the building.

From there, we went to the Southwest branch, about which Joanne was quite enthusiastic. It's easy to see why. While not quite as classically handsome as the Warren branch, this library is obviously an essential part of the community, rivaling even the impressive main branch in terms of circulation. Southwest has a large circulation, a bright, airy children's room, ample office space, and little niceties such as a community garden outdoors and little book recommendation cards of the sort that you might find in a bookstore. (If you like so-and-so, then we recommend checking out so-and-so.) These touches make the library a more welcoming place, and I received the impression that Joanne hopes that the main library will include some of these features when the building is renovated in a few years' time. It's interesting to see the very different cultures and atmosphere present at branches which are only a few miles from one another.

The Library as a Space

Today one of my tasks was to take down and box up a small exhibit of Civil War photographs and items. This entailed venturing down to the second floor, an area of the library that I've not yet had occasion to visit. My jaunt down to the the exhibition nook prompted thoughts on the physical space within and around the library and how that space is used.

Naturally, the vast majority of a library is, not too surprisingly, devoted to library stuff: books, shelves, desks. The main branch of DPL is quite extraordinary in that it has a number of other little areas throughout the building that are used for so many different purposes. There is a sizable auditorium, an archive, and the aforementioned "exhibition room," which is really just a nook in which pictures and art can be hung. There is even what you might call a garden. While on the second floor, I stumbled across an alcove filled with real dirt and containing a riot of green plants and ferns. It's literally right next to one of the shelving units and, so far as I can tell, serves no real purpose except that it looks nice and is a welcome shot of color and life.

With so many facilities contained under one roof, each representing a different way in which the building is used, is it really appropriate to refer to the Durham library as simply a library? Because it's also a theater, or maybe a town hall. And a museum. And a records office. And even a community garden.

As Bones would say "I'm a librarian Jim, not an architect," but it seems to me that many public libraries are utilizing their space for purposes other than simply checking out books. The Chapel Hill Public Library had lovely walking trails surrounding it, and while I've not been on them since the building re-opened, I can imagine that they look all the better for having undergone renovation. The Chatham Community Library, where I volunteer every other Friday, has a nice picnic area. The main branch of DPL is a little imposing, but for the most part, each of these buildings is warm and inviting. I can't recall having seen a truly ugly public library. Perhaps it is because people tend to associate libraries with such warm, positive feelings that the buildings, both within and without, almost instinctively reflect this sense of welcome.

Today I'm going to stray from the topic of libraries to discuss the city of Durham. We make much of the fact that UNC is located only eight miles down the road from Durham/Duke, but how often do Chapel Hill-ians really take the opportunity to explore their sister city? I only have one Facebook contact who is a Duke alum, and that's only because we went to the same high school in Georgia. I can probably count the number of times I have visited Duke on both hands, and the majority of those times were to visit the gardens.

So what keeps us away from Durham? Is it something to do with the fact that the city has always had a perhaps unfair reputation for high crime levels? There was a controversial article in the DTH this past spring that essentially stated that Durhamites were responsible for various crimes committed in and around Chapel Hill. And it is true that parts of downtown Durham can be less than savory. As part of staff development day at the main library branch, staff members took part in a shooter simulation drill. I can't be positive, but I am fairly certain that this is not something that occurs at other public libraries. My roommate, who works circulation at the Southwest branch, confirmed that yes, this would not have happened elsewhere.

I didn't know much about Durham prior to starting the internship. However, a stint at the Herald-Sun following my junior year had opened my eyes to some of the interesting places and people that the city had to offer, and my work at the library has confirmed my opinion that Durham is, in fact, a pretty neat place. The library is running a series of events called "Bullish on Durham," and each one explores a different point of interest: DPAC, Central Park, etc. It's a great way to see what Durham has to offer as an up-and-coming Southern city. Many of the library's summer humanities events reveal Durham's rich cultural history as well. One series will detail Durham's history during the Civil Rights era, and an event later this month on Jews and Durham explores an aspect of the city's history that perhaps is not explored quite as often. Plus, it's difficult to not love a city that hosts an annual Beaver Queen Pageant.

It's not all fun and books

I had intended to write about event planning today, but Joanne has been out for much of the day over at the Hayti Heritage Center working to hammer out some technical difficulties for a humanities event taking place there next week. So I will come back to that topic later this week and instead talk about how the department functions, based on what I've seen so far.

I think that a lot of people (including, for awhile, myself) have this notion that public librarians sit around all day and read books. I also think that SILS tries hard to dispel this notion. One the very first day of INLS 501 last semester, Dr. Pomerantz told us "If you are here because you love books, run." (This was, in retrospect, quite funny because we had just finished going around the room and saying why we had decided to attend SILS. A good two-thirds of the replies were iterations of "Because I love books."

Having spent a little time in a public library setting, it's a little easier to see where he was coming from. The library, at least the marketing division, is more of a business than an idyllic place where everyone sits around reading books all day long. It's more akin to working at an office: we sit at desks and do plenty of dry, business-y tasks like grant writing, recordkeeping, and spreadsheet maintenance. Department meetings are not about books we've read but rather about how we can save some money on printing costs or meeting quotas. It's very apparent that visibility is essential to the library's survival, and the staff seems grateful for any publicity they receive, even if it's as small as a blurb cut from the local newspaper. (Gina carefully saves these for BoT meetings and they are subsequently archived.)

Reeling 'em in: who attends library events?

In my last post, I mentioned the wildly eclectic mix of events that DPL offers as part of its humanities series, ranging from the typical book signings to the really quite bizarre. Who attends these events?

My guess-which is entirely unfounded-is that many of the attendees would be older individuals. My paternal grandmother constantly attends events and lectures at her local library, and I rather imagine that many of her peers do the same. It's a great opportunity for them to socialize and to learn something new. I also suspect that it's the older demographic that would be the most interested in the local history events which the library offers up in droves, as they are the ones who probably remember those events actually occurring.

But what about the young demographic? I can't remember the last time I attended a library-sponsored event, which, given my program, is a little sad. If I, the sort of young adult who would be most likely to attend these events, am not going to them, then who, exactly, is? It's a bit of an awkward age group. The library has plenty of events for children and teenagers, and an equal number that might appeal to senior citizens, but not as much for the twenty-, thirty-somethings. We ran into this problem with my 23-year-old brother Michael, who is autistic. I contacted his local library to see if they offered events for someone of his age and capabilities, and the response was discouraging. It's definitely an overlooked demographic.

Of course, I could be entirely wrong. While working on the blurbs for the upcoming humanities brochure, I often find myself thinking of my peers and saying "Oh, I should tell so-and-so about this event; they'd think it was really interesting." Actually, I intend to ask Joanne or Gina if they can run me off some extra fliers for an August discussion panel on game design. I have an unusual number of friends who are interested in board game design and, having mentioned this event to them in passing, they all seemed quite excited and said that they would certainly attend. Perhaps my generation has a vested interest in library events as well. It's an encouraging thought, and it may have something to do with the area.

I'm not sure about other regions of the country, but I'd imagine that libraries in the Triangle have just about the best turn-out rate for their events. The area's major universities mean that the DPL has not only a host of potential speakers, but also a community of educated folks both young and old, eager to learn something new. I think that the marketing division is well aware of this and therefore tailors the list of events to appeal to the widest number of people. Where else could you find zombies, civil rights, and Islamic mystic poetry living side by side?

Next time: how does the library go about selecting their events?

Week One

I have a new mantra: No matter how smart you are or how educated you may be, the copy machine will always foil you in the end.

That's certainly been the case during my first week on the job. I copied a batch of library-related newspaper clippings only to have to do the whole thing over on account of the fact that the background was too inky. However, I finally achieved success and I think that the copier and I now have a mutual respect for one another. At least, I hope so. I have the feeling that it's plotting new ways to turn on me.

But waging war against the copier constitutes only a small part of what I've been up to. Over the course of my first couple of days in the marketing department I have:

• written numerous press releases for upcoming library events
• copy edited a list of blurbs that will be printed in the upcoming summer humanities brochure
• printed and stuffed envelopes to be mailed to Humanities Society members
• attended a department meeting
• visited the garage where the Bookmobile lives

I've spent most of these first couple days working under the supervision of Joanne Abel and Gina Rozier. Both are excellent to work with; Gina is perhaps a little intimidating, but I suppose that comes from serving as the department head. I will be spending most of the summer working alongside them, but they are open to me gaining some experience in parts of the library that are not necessarily directly related to marketing. After hearing that I am an ARM student, Joanne said that she will have to introduce me to Lynn over at the NC Collection, and I'm very much looking forward to that. Assuming that I do end up working in archives, I could more easily see myself working at a smaller, public library archive rather than at a massive university special collection, so I'm naturally interested to see what her job entails.

Meanwhile, the press releases take up a majority of my time. I must say, I am amazed at the sheer number/variety of events that the Durham Co. library offers. Most are understandably related to local history or feature local authors, but there are some that are so unusual, so out there. For instance, one of the branches is having a "zombie preparedness" event in early July. I think that is absolutely brilliant. Go to your local library, pick up a good book, and, while you're at it, learn to protect yourself during the impending zombie apocalypse! Awesome.

Next time: reflections on library-sponsored events. Who attends them, and why?