CURRENT POSITION Branch Manager, West End Branch, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library DEGREE MLIS, Kent State University, 2016 FAST FACT Parks originally went to school for fine art, but turned to programming and events through the college’s library and Black Student Union. FOLLOW linkedin.com/in/keloni-parks-7270504b; bit.ly/PlaceIWantToBe; open.spotify.com/show/7kBHB0fPocXdtX4w86aN39 Photo by Steve France

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“We chillin’ at the West End Library, The only place, the only place, that I want to be.”

Thanks to Keloni Parks, a few other adults, and about 17 young library patrons who wrote the verses, the West End Branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library has its own anthem: “The Place I Want to Be.” Parks recalls, “The creation of the song coincided with the reopening of our branch after being renovated, and we decided to have a hip-hop-themed reopening celebration since it was the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and many of our kids’ favorite genre.”

“The Place I Want to Be” is not the only thing West End Branch patrons can listen to. Parks hosts and co-produces West End Stories Project, a podcast featuring longtime residents reminiscing about this historically African American neighborhood. According to Parks, “More change was coming to the West End, and it reminded us of the changes it went through during the mid-1900s with urban renewal, and again in the early 2000s with Hope IV [HUD rental assistance program].... So far, we’ve produced three seasons, and we’re hoping to enhance the project so that it can be an accessible historical resource.” The podcast has reached 7,340 listeners.

Parks curated a photography exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the West End Branch’s location, highlighting the library’s enduring presence in the community despite the changes around it. Parks also restarted the branch’s Mary Finley Memorial Essay and Speech contest, which went inactive in 2013. “I really like how events like these bring people together and highlight the community,” she says.