Paul: Hey, everyone! Welcome to "Your Family, Your Library," a podcast where we discuss the many ways our library is here for families of all shapes and sizes. Each episode, we will bring you information and resources relevant to your family and beyond. We are "Your Family, Your Library," and we're glad you're here. Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Executive Director Richard Kong where we're talking about libraries and their role as centers of the community. Richard, as we know, communities grow and they change. Libraries have been under some scrutiny countrywide. We've seen book bans and other things like that. When you're in the community and of the community and there's diverse opinions and ways of thinking about things, how does the library position itself to stay sort of centered and grounded in those changing times?
Richard: Yeah, another great question. Yeah, I mean, I think that we are seeing and we're living in an environment where unfortunately some libraries have been, you know, threatened or attacked and put in difficult positions across the country. And, thankfully, we haven't really experienced that to the same degree in, in Skokie. Right. And again, it goes back to a community that appreciates intellectual freedom, the freedom to read. And just the library has just, built up trust in the library being a force of good for the community. So that means a lot, right? But yeah, it doesn't mean that we're immune to all of that. Right. And the challenges, the broader challenges in society. Like when I think of the times that we're living in, I mean, it's just such a unique time, right? I mean, think about it like we're living in a time when the political division is kind of more pronounced than I can remember, at least ever in my life. Right? And I'm close to 50 now, and we also live in a time when we're right off the heels of a global pandemic, you know that. I mean, I don't I keeps thinking we haven't even scratched the surface on how that's affected all of us. Right? As a, as a, as a society and as a people, as a, as a species. Right. And, and the isolation that people felt, the fear, the pain, the sheer exhaustion of living through that time. And then the and then the social unrest, you know, that we saw during 2020 and kind of the following years. And, you know, all of that has really taken its toll. Things happen for a reason. And we live, we have to accept that. And we live through, the times that we're living through. And but it, I think has taken a toll. I think we can all agree on that. Right. On us. One way or another, individually and communally. And, and so I think we do have challenges in helping people feel connected, helping people feel like they're not reduced to a label or a caricature or that someone else paints, you know, of them. Helping people feel that it is possible to get to know another person, right, to to genuinely care for another person and respect someone enough that you want to hear not just about like the one sound bite that they might be reduced to, but like their whole person. Right? Like, and, and wanting to get to know that whole person. So on top of all of that, I mean, we live in an environment where information and access to information is so challenging. Yes. With, social media with like, the speed of information and news, the internet, I mean, there are so many challenges to our field even from that angle. Right. And we're in the information business. Right. And I always wonder, like, what can we do to help people navigate this really difficult, environment of information where people might not know what to trust or who to trust or, or they might not have the feel like they have the capacity anymore, the ability to, think critically and really examine what they know and what they think they believe. Right?
Paul: Yeah.
Richard: All of that is really challenging. I mean, I and I, I don't think I'm not speaking just for, for others, you know, I, I'm speaking for myself too. You know, I, I this past year, you know, I mentioned it during our staff day. So you know about this like I, I really wrestled with just coming to the realization that I need to slow down, you know, like, slow my mind down, you know, and, and really ground myself in what's real and what's, like, kind of going deeper in my thinking and noticing the world and the people in front of me right and around me like I. But I need it. I need to be more intentional about slowing down and to be able to do those things right, because just the the pace of life and information just seem unbearably fast right now, you know, and overwhelming. So, yeah.
Paul: How do you feel like the library resources and programing and even the physical building, the different spaces, that are available? I'm thinking about like the adult makerspace or studio or some of the youth spaces, the BOOMbox, the Lab, the teen space. Whether we're talking about, the world language collection or even the cooking collection, how does the library meet patrons' needs in all of these different ways is, like you said, the information, the way that information comes out or the way that people ingest information, how does the library manage to keep up with the needs of the patrons, and with respect to that?
Richard: Yeah. I mean, one thing I can say is I went to a conference recently and, there was, I think an academic or not, not sure, like kind of how to describe it, but, her name is Doctor Kate Mulligan, and she works in the field of health, and she commented that 80%, up to 80% of health is determined by things outside of like the formal like health structure or systems. Right. And I think that the library is part of that. Right. What we do with our spaces, how we do that in terms of delivering services, right, with collections and resources, programing, just even just, relational, opportunities that we provide through staff. Right. How we go about our partnerships in the community, all of that. I feel like I'm really confident in saying that we have a role to help improve the health of individuals and the community in a broader sense than kind of like, you know, maybe what people usually think of when they think of the word health, right? So, like you, you gave some really great examples here in your question. When people walk into the kids area, what do you see? I mean, you, you have an opportunity to, like walk into just like this, wonderful environment where there are many, many resources for one to learn, right? To read, to dive into a topic, or to just have fun with the topic and, and listen to what other perspectives there are in the world. Right. And to enjoy that, you have an opportunity to connect with other people who are in that space, right? Like, I, I love seeing caregivers and parents and grandparents, like, connect with one another while they're with their little ones in the kids space. Right? It's not just that the kids are connecting, but the adults in their lives are connecting. And, and that's like that's very rare, I think to find those places these days. I don't know about you, but I mean, as the older I get, I feel like the harder it is to meet someone new and just have like a genuine friendship with someone that like that isn't based on, you know, going to school together or working together or.
Paul: Yeah.
Richard: And the library is one of those few freely available social environments where that is possible, right? Yeah. Even the teen room. Right. So I always say this, I love the approach that our, you know, Laurel Dooley, our team services manager, and her team, like I love their approach and their mentality towards what they do and how they relate. We don't have a teen desk, right? A staff desk in that room. It's...they're there to hang out with the teens. Right. And provide, in an environment where, the teens feel safe and supported and listened to, but also, you know, have access to adults in their lives that they can learn from. Right. And. and I love that. It's when the teens come into that space. Laurel and her team, they greet them, warmly. They make them feel welcome. That I mean, I remember doing a strategic planning and renovation planning years ago, and at the time we asked a focus group of teens, like, what? What do they want? And, and what have they experienced in the community? And and it it really opened my eyes to, to hear some of teens say, talk about how in many spaces in the, in the public community spaces, that they feel rejected or not wanted, like they're a nuisance or treated as a nuisance and... And, I, we really intentionally wanted to create a teen environment that was the opposite of that, right? Where it's like front and center. Prime real estate is what I always say in the library, where the teens have easy access to, a large, beautiful room and, really well appointed room with furniture and collections and, and staff available. And it's like the world deserves in that room. And, you know, I want them to feel always welcome in that space. So that happens. Right. So yeah. And just to go a little further with that, like speaking of information and like processing learning and, and just the madness of like the world today, like Laurel and her team are there to help teens navigate life, right? It's not just about like, hey, here, read this book. It's hey, what's going on? And like, really listening to what's happening in someone's life and being there for them, right? So, I mean, the makerspace is also a great example of like people, like people being able to come in, slow down, actually use their creativity to express themselves and to create something with their hands and that's a beautiful thing as well, right?
Paul: Love that space.
Richard: Yeah. All of the all of these examples are examples of things that are possible at the library where people can slow down, feel connected to other human beings, and feel supported. Right at the end of the day, they can feel like this was a positive thing in their life.
Paul: Yeah.
Richard: So yeah.
Paul:That's a that's a great thing. And I will say, with the, we talked about the renovation and certainly the teen space was one of those spaces that it was like night and day and, when the new renovation happened, it was clear that there was a lot of emphasis put on that group. And it's a very important group to, to get. I feel like the young kids, they enjoy the library specifically up until a certain point, and then you get in those kind of angsty tween and teen years, and then maybe the library isn't as cool as it used to be when you were a kid, but it seems like here there's very much a cool vibe that's that goes on that, the teens specifically really do resonate with.
Richard: I think so. And I don't know what you mean about angst and teen, teen years. I didn't experience that as a person.
Paul: Yeah, yeah, yeah. None of us, right?
Brenna: Hi. I'm Brenna, and I'm the advisory supervisor at the Skokie Public Library, here to tell you about a book I loved. "You are Fatally Invited" by Ande Pliego is a thrilling mystery about a group of writers invited to an isolated island for a retreat. But someone is out for revenge, and everyone has a secret. Stay tuned to hear more about books we're loving and check out our recommendations in the show notes.
Paul: So you seem like someone who has a lot of ideas and a lot of, thoughts about where the library could go, what the library could do. So if you had one wish and resources are not an issue, money wasn't an issue, which obviously it always is. But what would be one thing that you wish the library could do if resources and money and none of that was an issue at all?
Richard: Yeah, I mean, that's a really good question, a little difficult. I feel like first I have to say, when I hear that question, I feel even more grateful, to be honest, of the resources that we do have.
Paul: Yeah.
Richard: I honestly can't say that that a lack of resources and funding has ever been an issue for us. You know, it's just not been a factor for us in terms of like not being able to pursue our goals. And having said that, I mean, what I would like to see is, you know, the thought I when I drive around Skokie, the thought occurs to me like, okay, the person living in that household, the person living in that home, the person living in that apartment, the person in that store, they might be library patrons, right? They might be library users. Hopefully they are. And hopefully they're gaining what they, taking advantage of what we have to offer, right, to, to improve their lives and, and get what they need. But then the flip side of that occurs to me, like, how many people you know, as I drive around and see people at lunch with people, like how many of these people don't know, what we have to offer and how many of them are actually struggling with something, right? How many of them are struggling with lack of knowledge or skill or learning about a topic that we could help with? Right? Yeah. How many of them are, are lonely or isolated and feeling like they don't have someone to turn to, you know? And we could help with that, right? We can help create an environment where they can connect to other neighbors or people who are in the library, right, or staff. And so those are some examples. But basically, like I'm saying that the that's the thought saddens me, right? The thought that, and not that like every one must use the library every day or anything like that, I don't and be militant about this, you know. But it saddens me, the idea that someone out there in our community needs support and we could provide it, but they just don't know it or they don't take advantage of it, you know? And I don't know honestly how to get around that. We're trying different things with their current strategic priorities. We're trying to get out into the community more like be present in places where we might come across people who don't necessarily, you know, find themselves making their way to the library. But that's where the work of our community engagement department is so crucial to. What we do is critical to what we do. Yeah. You know, Nancy Kim Phillips, the director of community engagement, she and her team and, you know, like the bookmobile staff, included, like, they're out in the community, like connecting with people and making partnerships. And our partner organizations provide pathways to the library for the people that they're helping. Right. And providing services for us. So so we're trying and I think we're doing well, but, you know, there's always going to be someone out there who doesn't know us and who could use us, you know, and I'd love to just kind of get maximum, you know, use out of the library by its community, you know?
Paul: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Shout out community engagement. Yeah. For sure. Working with community partners, bookmobile, book, bike, the list goes on. There are definitely boots on the ground in the community.
Richard: Yeah and I just, speaking of the book bike, I just, of video. I don't know if it's online for the public yet, but it was amazing that you created that I'm sure, that I love that video. It's, Yeah. You got to, like, you know, someone was chopping up some onions or something when I was watching it on.
Paul: I'm not crying, you're crying.
Richard: Exactly. There wasn't me! But, you know, really heartwarming to just see, just, like, I don't know, I'll. Everything that I've been talking about like that, just that human connection, that simple act of, like, making a connection with someone out in the community or in the library, like, makes a world of difference for people.
Paul: Sure.
Richard: And I don't think that can be understated.
Paul: Before we go, I just wanted to ask one more question, and that is if you could describe the library and its staff in three words, what words would you choose? And you can't use? Awesome.
Richard: Amazing!
Paul: Amazing...
Richard: Yeah. Okay. I mean, this is really hard. The there are so many words I can use it. I feel like it will do, not do justice to our staff in the library just to pick three, but I'll try.
Paul: Okay.
Richard: So one word is effective, and I know this kind of, like, sounds like a boring word or whatever to use, but I just mean, like, we're good at what we do, you know? And, like, our staff are just really capable and effective in accomplishing the work that is set out for them. And...
Paul: Here, here,
Richard: And the library as a whole is effective in delivering, service to our community, you know, and I think people see that. And I so I so appreciate, you know, that quality in our library and our and the people who work here. And I hope that continues. You know, I don't have any reason to think it wouldn't. Yeah. I mean, the, the second word, and maybe I'm being a little too, you know, kind of mushy here, but, like, loving. I feel like we have genuine, like a loving disposition and like, attitude towards the people that we see. And, and, the people that we encounter, whether it's other colleagues or, or the community, I just sense it like we, we genuinely feel like we care for people. And, and it's not just like clocking in and clocking out, you know, like, yeah, I just really am proud of that quality. And our culture and our, the people that we hire, you know. So yeah. So that that would be a second word and, and maybe, I don't know, I'm going to cheat here and just be like, used maybe two, combo here, like creative and bold, you know, like...
Paul: That's a good one.
Richard: I feel like we try new things. I'm really astonished by the creativity that I see exhibited and demonstrated every day by the library, 99.9% of which I have nothing to do with, you know, like I can't take credit for it. I don't take credit for it. I, it's, you know, a lot of things. I'm, I read the newsletter or I see a program on the calendar or a, watch a video that you create or listen to a podcast or, and I learn about things just like anyone else. You know, I don't pretend to know everything down to the last detail here, but yeah, I am always just, so pleasantly surprised and kind of appreciative of the creativity that is displayed by our staff and our library as a whole. We, I think we're bold. We, we try to go for things. We try to innovate. We, we're not like, just kind of sitting back and saying, we've done enough, you know, and we're, we're good. And, we could just do the same thing over and over again, you know, we're was thoughtfully thinking about what our community needs, like going back to what you said earlier. You know, we're thoughtfully processing, like, what is it that we can do now and tomorrow and moving forward to, to help our community? And I really just think that's the sign of a healthy organization, you know? So. Yeah, I appreciate that.
Paul: Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for being with us today. This was a wonderful conversation. And, we hope you all out there listening learned a lot. And as always, please come and check us out. Any time. And before we go, in the spirit of service to the community, we want to highlight one of the ways Skokie provides outlets for folks to give back through volunteering, while making the community a better place for all. Check it out!
- Indistinct conversation -
Paul: It's a beautiful sunny day in Skokie, and a group of local teens and library staff gather on the village green excitedly, waiting to get started on the mission at hand, picking up litter. After garbage bags and gloves are handed out, the group ventures over to Niles Center Road, where Skokie Public Library has a designated stretch of road. It volunteers to clean up regularly as a part of Skokie's Adopt the Street program. So what brings you out?
Volunteer 1: I love picking up litter. It's an immediate gratification. Makes the community look better.
Paul: Exactly.
Volunteer 1: And we get to do it with teens who are amazing.
Paul: Why did you decide to come out today?
Volunteer 2: It's a nice day and I'm really enjoying the walk and some stretching, picking up garbage with such a wonderful company of my colleagues and teens. And, I meet someone. I met someone new here. So it's a very nice day for very nice activities.
Paul: Skokie has had a long tradition of neighborhood cleanup programs, but since 2018, there have been two official programs for the community: Adopt a Street and Clean Green Skokie. So how are you feeling about the Adopt a Street program today?
Volunteer 3: Feeling pretty good. It's nice to get out and help pick up garbage. It kind of makes me upset when I'm just like driving around. I see bags floating around, cups rolling around, so it's nice to get it off the streets.
Paul: The Adopt a Street program is for local businesses and community groups. They want to help keep Skokie clean. Groups agree to take care of a stretch of road at least a half a mile long, and have two or more cleanups each year. How do you think that a program like this helps the community overall?
Volunteer 3: It gives the neighborhood a big impact and we help the community a lot. This neighbor people will thank us just by picking up trash. So it's a joyful mood. And so are we.
Passerby: Good job everybody.
Group of Volunteers: Thank you. Thank you.
Paul: Why do you feel like this is a good thing for the library to participate in?
Volunteer 4: It definitely is one way for us to give back to our community and also just, you know, to make everyone feel like you're a part of it, no matter how small something is, it makes a big impact. And so for people to be able to gather together and do this one thing together, I think is really impactful, meaningful for them and for us. We want to be able to be a part of a greener, cleaner community.
Paul: The other program, Clean Green Skokie, is a nice one off volunteer opportunity for anyone a single person, a family, a group of neighbors, or any group interested in keeping Skokie clean. You just sign up online to receive a free cleanup kit, which includes safety vests, gloves, and trash bags. Then you just go and pick up litter around your home or business or wherever you see it. When you're done, you can throw the bags in your own garbage bins or contact Public Works to arrange to pick up the bags at the cleanup location. Both programs are an easy way to give back to the community, while making it look and feel cleaner. Are you feeling inspired today by this work?
Volunteer 5: Yes I am, I just sign in saying that there's this much like trash around. I'm like, I only have a couple blocks away. So for me, this feels like I'm really going back to my community because like, I know a lot of, I have a lot of friends and my family lives around here. So I'm glad that benefiting all of us. But I kind of wish that we all could be part of this difference.
Paul: As the afternoon cleanup nears the end, everyone's mood is still elevated.
Volunteer 6: It's been really nice seeing the teen volunteers getting a chance to meet and chat with staff that maybe they wouldn't normally interact with her on the library, just in the teen space. I'm glad that this was able to be both a volunteer and a staff volunteer.
Paul: Are we finding a lot of treasures out here? We are.
Volunteer 7: It's kind of crazy. There's so much like little pieces of plastic and glass, but this gives me good memories because when my kids were young. We used to do something that's like, put on our little gardening gloves, go out in our neighborhood in Chicago and try to clean stuff.
Paul: It feels good doesn't it?
Volunteer 7: It feels really good and it's a beautiful day for it.
Paul: What a great day it was to be out there as a group, having a good time picking up litter and making Skokie a cleaner, greener community. For more information about how to participate and to sign up for either program, check out the link for the Village of Skokie website in our show notes. That's it for us this month. Remember to keep in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at podcast at Skokie library dot info. And don't forget if you've enjoyed this episode or previous episodes. Rate and review us on your favorite pod catcher. Bye for now.
- The Formula by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg
- How to Know a Person by David Brooks
- 101 by Depeche Mode
- Andrew Berman Architect
- James Stewart Polshek: Reflections on a Life in Architecture
- Women's Legacy at Skokie Public Library blog post
- Kate Mulligan profile
- Riding the Book Bike video
- You're Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
We conclude our conversation with Executive Director Richard Kong. After the interview, we give you a behind-the-scenes look at a recent community volunteer project.