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Menlo Park Library Services Director Susan Holmer retired Oct. 5 after 16 years in the role. When she started in 2002, the library still had phonograph records in circulation, and Wi-Fi wasn’t a part of the picture, she said.
The addition of self checkout machines and an automatic check-in machine has sped up the library’s circulation processes dramatically and eliminated some tedium for staff, she said.
Initially, she said, “when the internet came along, people thought, ‘You don’t need libraries.'” But as time has gone on, it’s become clear that even though there is a lot of information available online, the skills that librarians possess to track down that piece of information people really want or need are as important as ever, she said.
“Libraries aren’t going to go away. Books aren’t going to go away,” she said.
Over the years, she said, as library director she’s tried to be responsive to the ideas of her staff librarians, especially the younger ones. Together, she said, they’ve changed the perception of a public library as somewhere you go to borrow materials to a place you go to meet people “in a stimulating and intellectual environment.”
Replacing her on an interim basis is Sean Reinhart, most recently director of library and community services for the city of Hayward.
As for Holmer, she plans to continue expanding her skills in being a helpful resource for people as a master gardener. She’ll be heading to San Jose weekly to complete a 17-week course through the University of California at Davis to learn more about gardening, after which which she plans to share that knowledge in her home community in Mountain View.
“You can’t stop being a librarian,” she said.
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Wouldn’t be surprised if the food in her cupboard is organized under the Dewey Decimal System.
Actually, arranging one’s pantry with Dewey Decimal Classification would be a terrible idea, as any librarian could tell you. Food and drink are all filed under 641 so you’d always be having to fish through lengthy decimals.
These stereotypes about librarians have been around the block too many times already. It’s time to let them go.
BH residents asked for years for increased library hours and greater literacy resources. Hoping the new library director cares about the importance of literacy and an accessible library for every child and adult in Menlo Park.
The new library director needs the skills and abilities to lead a modern library organization, and to value equity. Agree with BH Resident that the BH community has not received its fair share of library services. Due to public outcry that got the attention of our council, and a concerted effort by involved residents, efforts are underway now to improve library services in Belle Haven.
I’d like to see a new director who relates well with all kinds of people and who passionately cares about improving the lives and opportunities of the children, youth and adults in Belle Haven via innovative library services and programs.
Mountain View hired a new Library director in May 2018. A Daily Post article (May 3) stated that MV had “a very strong pool of candidates” and that their new librarian was chosen “because of her experience collaborating with community groups, strategic planing, budgeting, staffing and facilities design and maintenance.” These kinds of skills are also needed in Menlo Park along with someone who keeps up on library trends and who embraces innovation and the need to serve the entire community.
I would also love to see our new council consider having our city library become part of the San Mateo County Library Joint Powers Association. By sharing in administration and programming, the JPA Libraries https://smcl.org/jpa-governing-board/are able to cost-effectively offer a wider range of programming and other library services. By joining the JPA, MP would become part of a regional library solution. This would also help us to build stronger relationships with other citie that would be useful to tackle other regional problems such as traffic and the lack of enough housing.
Oops. My comment went live with the wrong long. Here’s the link to the JPA Governing Board. https://smcl.org/jpa-governing-board/ On a related note, here’s a link to the City of Mountain View salary ranges for those who want to compare theirs with Menlo Park’s. https://www.mountainview.gov/depts/hr/benefits.asp