October 2021

As I made my way into the Libbie Mill Library in Henrico County Virginia, I was greeted by Bethany, a librarian, and Kristyn Saroff, the assistant manager of the library.

The library’s digital media lab was a popular venue. It offered internet access and other media resources. Adults use the space for job interviews and meetings. teens use it for various projects. The room also has a green screen.

I also met Chris and Megan, two librarians in charge of the children’s section of the library. Chris shared a couple of programs with me that the children have worked on as well as a read aloud activity that is interactive with puppets from the famous author Ashley Bryan.

One recent activity for children ages 5-10 was the “Star Jar” project. The kids created constellation models with mason jars , colored light bulbs and tinfoil. The kids used different texts to help with this project.

The teen section of the library offered a music program. Teenagers could practice on keyboards that offer a Midi setup which allows users to connect to Garageband software. Libbie Mill is offering programs that provide education on music as well as technology to help with creating and editing your own music.

The library recently completed an African American genealogy program that generated great interest. They had professional genealogists come in and work with 40 African American Henrico County residents to help them discover their family history and roots in the state of Virginia.

It was wonderful getting a chance to speak with employees of the Libbie Mill Library, and hearing about some of the great programs they offer for all ages!

Pulling up to Fairfield Library, I couldn’t help but appreciate this new building which was constructed 3 years ago. It’s a beautiful piece of architecture that sits on N. Laburnum Ave. along with a brand new athletic facility and social services building. The idea for the structure of the building was inspired by the philosophies of W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Du Bois championed academic learning and Washington emphasized training of life skills and trades. Public libraries are places where both academic and life-skills learning can be supported. The building has a perpendicular design to represent the basis of these two philosophies. Speaking with Sharon Crenshaw, the assistant manager, expressed that this 3 year old building was an amazing addition to the community.

With this new facility, it was wonderful to see the types of services and strides in technology that Fairfield offered. One of the most popular rooms, called the “One Button Press Room,” allowed members of the library with a USB, to record video and audio in a state-of-the-art recording booth for a variety of programs and activities such as interviewing for a job via Skype, as well as recording your own podcast or music. Afterwards, you can take your USB that downloaded the whole recording and edit it in another room using Adobe. I was amazed that a library provided this type of service.

As Sharon and I made our way up to the second floor she showed me the children and teen centers of the library.

The children’s section was a large open space where kids had an opportunity to explore all the different texts which were broken up into different “neighborhoods” (categories for different types of genres of picture books.) There was a beautiful section with sliding glass doors that opened up into a multipurpose room for read-alouds and arts and crafts activities. Fairfield Library also provides nooks within this area where parents can apply for jobs online while keeping an eye on their children.

Moving over to the teen section, it was nice to see a “tween” area where you could find texts and an area for children transitioning from childhood into their teenage years. Making our way further in, sat rows of texts pertaining to teenage oriented genres and a cozy gaming area. To the left were study rooms that looked out over the adult section of the library.

Making our way into the STEAM room Sharon showed me a banner that had an array of portraits and other paintings that were done by a father and son duo named Jerome and Jeromyah Jones. The paintings were done by these two over the span of the last 30 to 40 years celebrating African American heritage. They recently had an exhibit called, “The African American Journey in America” commemorating the experience of African Americans over the past 400 years (1619-2019) through art. I was lucky enough to meet these two men on my visit and had a chance to talk to them about their moving work!

It was great to get a chance to talk with Sharon as well as Jerome and Jeromyah, to get a first hand perspective of how they are giving back to their local community.

The main branch of the Enoch-Pratt public library has a very distinguished interior. You know the minute you enter the building you have walked into a special place of knowledge and history .

Since the beginning of the 21st century Enoch-Pratt libraries have made technology a key part of the services and resources they provide. E-cards were introduced allowing users to check out e-Books, use databases for research, as well as access to streaming media. . As of August 2021 there are 27,000 users of e-cards.

The library has recently upgraded the services offered to children. “First Cards” were established for children receiving their first library card of the age 6 and under. All branches moved to a universal schedule which allows an increase of access to early learning and child caregiver programs.

Through the launch of the Pratt “Library of Things” teens have access to check out STEAM kits, sewing machines and musical instruments. A recent expansion of the Teen Center, offered upgrades to recording audio and video capabilities.

Since June, Pratt has opened up “Sidewalk Service”; a contactless pick-up service at all Pratt locations adhering to COVID-19 mandates. “Drive-In Wifi” has also been offered across the city, providing free internet access to the community at large.

The Enoch-Pratt library has continued to develop new programs and services in their mission to serve and enlighten their community.

As I drove into the parking lot of Anne Arundel Public Library (AACPL) I was impressed by the architecture as well as the EV charging stations for electric vehicles. The new building was completed last year and has a very modern design. Entering the library there lay a map of the Chesapeake Bay on the floor and a beautiful wooden plaque commemorating the donors who helped make this library possible. It’s a wide open space with smaller areas dedicated to all age groups from early childhood through adulthood. AACPL is celebrating 100 years of serving the community and what better way than with a brand new building and some amazing resources.

I was introduced to some of the staff by manager/s Gloria and Dianne. Gabby, a staff member, gave me a tour of an area of the library that allows space for different STEM activities. This area has state of the art resources including a 3-D printer, sewing machines, t-shirt presser, snap circuits (for kids to learn the basics of electric engineering) and ceramic resources for members in the community looking to try their hand at pottery. AACPL provides in-person classes as well as virtual classes for many of their services. The online pottery course has been a big hit and has over 20 people signed up. Gloria also shared a story about a proactive local eagle scout who came in to sew on his own eagle scout badge.

After the STEM area of the library, Gloria showed me the early childhood corner as a librarian was reading Storytime to several toddlers and their parents. This area seemed like a great resource for the children and had a colorful magnetic wall that had a presentation of the city of Annapolis as well as the Maryland library mascot “Sneeks”. The magnetic wall also provided letters along with visual cues on how to pronounce different sounds, giving kids a chance to spell their names and other words they were interested in

The teenage area of the library sat in the middle between the early childhood corner and adult section. The alcove was well equipped with computers, providing all the tools needed for research. There is also an ample amount of space for teens to socialize with comfortable seating for talking, games to play on systems like the Nintendo Switch, as well as a green screen for different types of presentations teens can use on various projects. AACPL also provides events such as movie nights for teens.

Finally, I made my way to the Annapolis Mall and stopped in at Discoveries. This is a branch of the library that sits in the corner of the mall. I was welcomed by Aurelia who explained that this branch provided a gamut of programs for all ages as well as a food pantry for those in need. Discoveries provides support for about 30-40 customers per week with essentials like diapers and women’s products. Like AACPL, this branch provides a space for young children as well as teens to gather and socialize in a safe place. Aurelia explained that they were setting up for a Mario Kart tournament and another employee, Peter said that this Saturday they will be hosting a Cat Castle “Caturday” where friends and families can partake in making their own cat home for their pets.

I was bound to the feeling of encouragement when I saw the various resources available for all ages at both of these sites. It was a pleasure to get a chance to see how the Anne Arundel Annapolis Public Library and Discoveries have their feet grounded in the past with a mindful idea of how to reach their community with modern advancements looking towards the future.

A celebration of American Libraries & Culture during the Pandemic

Over the past 20 years, public libraries have adapted their programs and services to become community hubs. As an active contributor in the Public Library sector, Comprise is committed to advancing the cause of “Library as Community”. In keeping with our commitment, we are pleased to participate in supporting the “SMART Trek”, a cross country journey by teacher/blogger Brendan Coulson to highlight some of the ways libraries play a role in the culture of their communities.

Follow Brendan’s journey on our website & our social media accounts.

Click here to read our blog.

About your tour guide: Brendan Coulson is an educator taking a year to travel America to discover and chronicle local culture, with a particular interest in how that culture is expressed through regional music and community events.

Will you join us as we give voice to this journey and read about libraries like yours?!