Final Farewell
As many of you know, I have announced my retirement as
Director of Library Services for the City of Livermore. I came to Livermore
from Tacoma, Washington, 28 years ago as the new Director of Library Services
following Don Nolte and Sallie Gray--- hard acts to follow. Livermore, a community of 45,000 at the time, intrigued me because it
was very similar to a Texas community I had worked in that was smaller when I
started there but enjoyed significant growth which I found challenging and
rewarding. Today, Livermore is a community of approximately 85,000. I have had
the opportunity to grow with the City and to implement many of the services the
larger community wanted and needed. Livermore was and is a great place to live
and work, so I have stayed much longer than I originally anticipated. Much of
that is due to the fantastic community support this library has from all of
you. Your support and, in many cases generosity, has allowed me to develop many
wonderful and exciting library services. I have been very fortunate to have a
staff that has gone along with some of our more interesting and different ideas
to deliver to you the best possible services for your community.
In 1985, when I first became your Library Director, Livermore
had a single library on the Civic Center site south of downtown Livermore. I
was hired by then City Manager Lee Horner to bring automated technology to the
library and to develop outreach services to the community to increase use of
the library by those not currently taking advantage of its offerings.
We began our outreach by opening the Springtown Branch
Library. Formerly a convenience store, the building had been donated to the
City. It was moved to its current site by the duck pond, remodeled and opened
in 1986. I fondly call it our “7-11” library where you can run in, grab some
books and run out.
Also in that year, 1986, we offered our first incentive
based summer reading program where children read books for prizes donated by
merchants in the community. The top prize was for 100 books read and one of the
prizes for reaching that level was a presentation of the Super Readers to the
Livermore City Council. That year we took 19 kids to the City Council. We have
been doing the summer reading program every year since. Last year, we had
over 800 children earning the presentation to the Council. One of the
highlights of the summer reading program for many years was the annual
sleepover at the Civic Center Library. I often hear from young parents with
children of their own how they spent the night at the Civic Center Library!
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, we continued outreach in
other parts of the community through the Library in a Box program. During the
summer months, we placed a 12’ X 12’ construction box filled with books at
strategic places around town to bring the summer reading program to underserved
areas of the community. Ultimately the Library in a Box resulted in the
construction of the Rincon Branch Library. The Livermore community voted to
allow the City to spend windfall money on a modular library with unique round
shelves to be placed in the May Nissen Park in the Rincon area of Livermore.
The Rincon Branch opened in 1992 and continues today to serve a very diverse
and unique community in the western part of the city.
Another milestone in my early years here was the establishment
of the Livermore READ literacy program. This one on one tutoring program where
volunteer tutors are matched with adult students who need to learn to read and
write is still going strong with an average of 200 tutor-student pairs at any
given time.
Another of my objectives was to bring technology and
automation to the library. In the late 1980’s we introduced a computerized
check out system and an online, automated catalog, eliminating the old card
catalog. This technology, modernized as it has improved, continues in place
today. It now allows our library patrons to use our library anywhere, anytime
and to do much of their library business on their own. It wasn’t always easy to
convince some of our patrons that this new technology was the best thing, but ultimately
the modern world becomes the norm. And the introduction of technology has
allowed us to much more effectively and efficiently operate the library. Today,
we have not only an internet based catalog but automated materials handling
check-in, self-check out and the virtual library where most library business
can be conducted right from your home in your PJ’s. The Library is continually
improving its use of technology as it evolves and as funding allows including
the recent addition of e-books for borrowing.
During the 1990’s the library introduced free access to
computers for the public. We started with four computers available for use and
today have over 80 free computers for use by our patrons. In the late 90’s the
Library’s policy of free and open, unfiltered internet access for anyone,
children included, was challenged by a parent. The case went to court three
times, and in all three instances, the courts upheld the library policy,
indicating the library should not dictate to anyone what they can read, see or
hear.
Perhaps my proudest achievement in my career is the
construction and opening of the new Civic Center Library. In 1999, the citizens
of Livermore passed a unique three agency general obligation bond measure which
funded a new library, a new community center and maintenance and repair of the
schools. The 56,000 s.f. Civic Center Library opened on the Civic Center campus
in 2004. It has become a show piece for the City, much loved and enjoyed by all
and a real community hub--- Livermore’s living room.
However, it was not without its controversy. The facility
has much public art in it which contributes to its beauty. One of the public
art pieces is a tile mosaic by artist Maria Alquilar at the entrance to the
building. This art piece features icons representing the tree of life, the
disciplines found in the library and images of Livermore. The artist decided to
label many of the icons and in doing so managed to misspell 11 of the labels!
These misspellings created much controversy and after much press including
national and international attention and discussion, the artist returned to
correct the misspellings. The mosaic continues today be a much loved art piece
making for a very colorful entrance to the library.
For years the City and the Library enjoyed adequate funding
to provide our services. However, in 2007, the national economy fell on hard
times and so did the City’s revenues. This necessitated considerable belt
tightening by all City departments including the Library. As a result of budget
deficits, the Library first reduced the hours at the branch libraries to three
days per week and cut the materials budget by one quarter. The revenues of the
City continued to fall and the Library was further forced to cut the materials
budget again ultimately to half its original amount and to close the Springtown
Library. By borrowing staff from the Civic Center Library, we were able to
reopen the Springtown Branch one day a week. In the meantime, the Library was
successful in obtaining a grant to create the Springtown Easy Access Library.
In 2013, the Springtown Easy Access Library, which is a
completely self-serve library at the Springtown Library building, opened. It is
available when the staffed library is not, from 8am to 8pm every day. Patrons may
obtain an Easy Access card which gets them into the building where they may
borrow books, DVD’s, pick up holds and return borrowed materials.
What does the future hold for libraries and for Livermore
Public Library? The role of the public library is changing. It is still a place
for book borrowing but those books may be electronic as well as hard copy.
Another core purpose of the public library is the provision of computer access,
especially for those who do not have such access. More and more of today’s
business is conducted online and patrons need to be able to do this even if
they do not have their own computer. The public library will continue to grow
as a community hub, providing programs of interest and importance to the
citizens it serves. Emphasis will continue to be placed on introducing children
to the world of books and knowledge through the provision of age appropriate
materials and children’s programing. The Library, as the world in general, will
become increasingly self-service. However, the human touch will still be
available to keep the library a warm and inviting place to spend some time. In
order to better communicate with our patrons, the library has and will continue
to embrace social media as a way of getting our message across and encouraging
people to take advantage of our services.
So I say farewell to my 28 year career here as your Library
Director. It has been so very rewarding and exciting and inspiring. I will
cherish all of the friendships and acquaintances I have made over the years.
Thank you, Livermore, for allowing me to serve you and create the quality
library services you so richly deserve.