Two days after the 2024 election, public library leaders from across the nation gathered at Richland Library in Columbia, SC, for Library Journal’s annual Directors’ Summit. This year’s program explored the ways public libraries are called upon to respond to complex community challenges and opportunities. From housing insecurity to low literacy rates to political polarization, public libraries are often part of solutions to address the very issues that impact the livability and resiliency of their communities. Together, library leaders sought answers to questions about the role libraries are uniquely positioned to play, where efforts can be best directed to support diverse community needs, and defining a library leadership agenda.
Two days after the 2024 election, public library leaders from across the nation gathered at Richland Library in Columbia, SC, for Library Journal’s annual Directors’ Summit. This year’s program explored the ways public libraries are called upon to respond to complex community challenges and opportunities.
From housing insecurity to low literacy rates to political polarization, public libraries are often part of solutions to address the very issues that impact the livability and resiliency of their communities. Together, library leaders sought answers to questions about the role libraries are uniquely positioned to play, where efforts can be best directed to support diverse community needs, and defining a library leadership agenda.
The timing of the event offered directors a chance to discuss the 2024 election as the results unfolded, bringing a sense of urgency to how their local libraries might be affected, as well as policies at the state and federal levels. Participants acknowledged the likelihood of ongoing book challenges and state legislative proposals threatening intellectual freedom. Kent Oliver, senior policy fellow for the ALA Unite Against Book Bans Cadre, reminded participants, “It isn’t like we are starting at square one—it’s not all doom and gloom. We know we need to constantly be working with the people that are running for city council, the people that are running for county commission and state offices. You can’t wait till the bad things start to happen.”
As directors shared their experiences dealing with book bans, hostile boards, and anti-library legislation, many cited the need to focus on building bridges. “Engagement without appeasement” was how one group described a path forward. “Look at the people who just won in your town, in your local elections—you’ll find that a lot of what they’re concerned about is work the library already does,” advised Lisa Varga, Virginia Library Association executive director and LJ’s 2024 Librarian of the Year. “Of course, there are some crazy platforms out there, but a lot of these folks are concerned about senior citizens in their community; they are concerned about veterans.... Between the workforce development you do, AARP tax clinics, and especially small business support, you might find that you can get in front of them before someone else tells them the library is something that we aren’t.”
Finding common ground can sometimes mean being open to one-on-one dialogue. Faced with a board candidate leading a campaign to remove “pornography” from libraries, one director described the power of inviting him in. While touring the library, she pointed out several books that had received complaints over the years: a graphic novel about divorced parents that a dad didn’t want his child to read, a children’s book about a dog and a burglar upsetting to a family that experienced gun violence, and a novel that one woman just found “too sad” to be in the library. This director helped the would-be book banner understand that someone could find something “controversial” in any book in the library, and he ultimately stepped away from his censorship effort. “I think we need to invite people to the table instead of immediately shooting them down.... We need to listen and get in the conversation,” she concluded.
Leaders agreed that libraries didn’t enlist to fight in a “culture war,” but they recognized that building alliances is a way of reaching détente. “I have members of my board who are as conservative as they come, but they believe removing a book from the library because someone doesn’t like it is un-American,” shared one director. “I also have very progressive board members who believe that everyone, especially if you’re marginalized and vulnerable, should be represented.” They are fundamentally compatible perspectives when it comes to intellectual freedom, but the ideas need an open environment in which they can be shared.
BIG QUESTIONS, MEANINGFUL ANSWERS Kelvin Watson, Executive Director of Las Vegas–Clark County Library District, facilitates dialogue during one of several small group discussions. Photo courtesy of Richland Library |
Although the proliferation of anti–intellectual freedom and censorship attempts in recent years has resulted in library messaging being focused on book bans, Summit attendees expressed a need to advance library communication to tell a more expansive story. Melanie Huggins, outgoing director of Richland Library, shared, “The thing that’s so maddening to me is we spend the majority of our time in a defensive stance, telling our story about a teeny little bit of what we do.... We do so many incredibly important, meaningful, impactful things and services that appeal to all people. We don’t tell that story very well.”
Across several different group discussions, the notion of “getting loud” about positive library outcomes resonated. “We need to give more airtime to the things that we want people to know, rather than being defensive about the things that people are accusing us of,” reported one group. Others described outreach to partners and a steady drumbeat of good news stories to “ensure the library isn’t an afterthought.”
This means communicating with local and state leaders about library positions on key policies and the impact the library has on broader issues, including education, workforce, economic development, and public health. Part of building trust involves being active in the community.
Directors agreed that nurturing trust with the public also requires staff to feel like they can trust their library organizations. Noting that staff have experienced physical and emotional harm in recent years, leaders shared best practices in addressing safety. Many acknowledged that staff do not feel as safe at work as they once did and expressed the need for zero tolerance when it comes to threats and harassment.
Libraries are often on the front lines of addressing community challenges like homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health, which creates safety concerns for both patrons and staff. Pat Losinski, recently retired CEO of Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH, shared, “It’s just such a new ball game. I’m concerned not just about the trauma being experienced by the individual staff—it’s terrible—but then you also have leaders who are trying to manage the trauma of 10 staff from nine different buildings, and it’s sort of a geometric pressure…. We better keep talking about it, and we better keep supporting one another to see if we can come up with better ways to support our people.”
Attending to safety, both physical and emotional, remains foundational to nurturing diverse and inclusive library cultures. In one group dialogue on organizational culture, directors highlighted the need for a culture of courtesy and respect while also agreeing that there may be a widening disconnect between staff expectations and leadership’s ability to deliver. “I can’t make you like your job,” said one director, “but I can put things in place that can help you get there.” In discussing how they operationalize an inclusive culture, they emphasized the importance of establishing healthy boundaries between work and personal life, especially in a profession that often demands a high level of commitment and emotional labor. Mentorship was also a key strategy cited in conversations about cultivating a sense of belonging and professional growth.
As leaders considered “what comes next” for libraries, there was an overwhelming sense that building meaningful human connections is crucial to the success of library organizations. Fostering trust through proactive community engagement, a supportive and inclusive workplace for staff, and an openness to diverse perspectives grounded conversations about specific topics in the library and information environment: artificial intelligence, literacy and education, social connection, and climate resilience.
Embracing technology, which libraries consistently demonstrate, will be part of community solutions in the future; yet library leaders also saw the necessity of a human touch to navigate innovations—in fact, they viewed people connections as a unique value that libraries provide.
As one director concluded, “We must continuously advocate for the role we play in our community members’ daily lives. It’s time we insist on receiving the recognition we deserve for being the change makers we are and for delivering the critical resources needed to build and sustain human life.”
BUILDING BRIDGES EVERYWHERE Directors’ Summit speakers covered a wide range of ground (l.-r.): Baker & Taylor President and CEO Amandeep Kochar; Lisa Varga, Virginia Library Association Executive Eirector and LJ’s 2024 Librarian of the Year, and Kent Oliver, Senior Policy Fellow for the ALA Unite Against Book Bans Cadre; and keynoter Dr. Sandra Hirsh, editor of Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries. Photos courtesy of Richland Library |
ONGOING WISDOM Pat Losinski, recently retired CEO of Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH, and Melanie Huggins, outgoing Director of Richland Library, in a lively conversation about the many facets of leadership. Photo courtesy of Richland Library |
JOY IN THE EQUATION Meaningful mutual support is critical for successful leadership. From l.-r.: Felton Thomas Jr., Executive Director and CEO, Cleveland Public Library; Jamar Rahming, Executive Director and CEO, Wilmington Public Library, DE; Dr. Kenvi Phillips, inaugural Director, Barack Obama Presidential Library; Larry Neal, Director, Clinton-Macomb Public Library, MI; Jos Holman, County Librarian, Tippecanoe County Public Library, IN; and Kelvin Watson, Executive Director, Las Vegas–Clark County Library District. Photo courtesy of Richland Library |
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