2006 SLJ/Thomson Gale Giant Step Awards Public Library Winner—Movin' on Up

Brian Kenney -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2006

The Linebaugh Library System's giant step in serving youth started with—of all crazy things—a strategic planning process. But unlike some libraries, Linebaugh didn't let its plan languish in a drawer or, more likely these days, sit unopened on a hard drive. Instead, it became a blueprint for a revolution—a revolution centered on children and teens. Because of this remarkable transformation, Linebaugh is one of this year's two School Library Journal/Thomson Gale Giant Step winners for the most improved library and the recipient of a $5,000 check.

Back in 2002, when Library Director Laurel Best, library leaders, and other staff members began to research their community's needs and brainstorm about the library they wanted, they identified several issues. These all, either directly or indirectly, involved service to youth. To address these concerns, they produced—and stuck to—a succinct, doable, strategic plan.

The biggest challenge was that many residents couldn't get to a library. Linebaugh serves over 200,000 residents in the central Tennessee county of Rutherford. Four years ago, it included the main library in Murfreesboro, the county seat, and a branch in Smyrna, 10 miles north. There was no public transportation in the county (there still isn't). And if parents couldn't get to the library, then their kids certainly couldn't either.

"Also, our children's programs were limited," says Best. "We provided a story hour twice a week, but we only reached those parents who could transport their children to the library, and in the summer we had a book club."

The county was growing fast and changing rapidly. Technology companies were arriving, tourism was expanding, and new neighborhoods were springing up. The healthy job market was attracting many Spanish-speaking residents, while the under-18 crowd had surged to a quarter of the population. "We weren't ready back then for the growth, or the diversity that accompanied it," says Best.

Much of the Latino population was cut off from library services: nothing in the collection was in Spanish, no staff members were bilingual, and this population often lived the farthest from the libraries. Nor did Linebaugh have a history of collaboration with other social or educational institutions, which would have allowed the system to expand its reach more easily.

Finally, the library board served as a caretaker, when what was needed was a board that would act as a fund-raiser and advocate. After all, Best and company needed money if they wanted to turn their library around.

"We had to make a choice," Best says. "Stagnate and watch the county pass us by or become a leader in creating change. We chose change."

Raising Readers, Bookmobile-style

To reach more residents, the library purchased a used bookmobile in 2003, which (thanks to some astute fund-raising) was replaced by a new, eye-catching vehicle last November. Today, the bookmobile makes weekly visits to low-income housing and far-flung areas, as well as to nine area preschools; the local Boys and Girls Club; the Cedar Grove Rehabilitation Center, which serves teenage boys; and a Catholic Church, where more than 60 Spanish-speaking families gather on Friday nights. The new, more spacious bookmobile makes public programs easier, and this year more than 3,000 children attended a story hour or another library activity.

To make sure Linebaugh was successfully targeting its Spanish-speaking population, now nearly 20 percent of the county, it hired (supported by another fund-raising initiative) three Spanish-speaking "clerk translators," one of whom is assigned to the bookmobile.

"This bookmobile is a delight," says staff member Hank Williams, recalling how much pleasure kids get from its visits. The vehicle is packed with new reading materials, ranging from picture books on its lower shelves to nonfiction and young adult titles on the top shelves. Williams knows his readers, and stocks the bookmobile according to that day's visits. He's certain that he's reaching kids who would never have visited the library. Amazingly, of the library cards that have been distributed on the bookmobile, over 75 percent have been put to use again. "We've learned the value of taking the library to people first," says Best. "In that way, we're not a threat."

Best of all, the branches themselves have expanded by two. Last year the Myrtle Glanton Lord Library opened inside a community center within inner-city Murfreesboro. This year, a new branch opened in Eagleville, 10 miles west of Murfreesboro. Both provide services for children.

Beyond the Walls

The library has reached into the community in other ways as well. "Back in 2004, we got a call from the librarian at Bradley Elementary School," says Kristi Baughman of the library's youth services department. Because of the increased accountability placed on teachers and a growing reliance on Accelerated Reader, a structured reading program, "Kids aren't reading for pleasure anymore," the librarian told Baughman. "Can you help?"

In response, Baughman and her colleagues began to go into schools, sharing the joy of reading with kids and helping them to appreciate the power of storytelling. Library staff members now visit Bradley each month, conducting story hours and puppet shows with kindergarten and first- and second-grade classes—reaching more than 130 students. This has led to invitations to other schools in the county as well as Middle Tennessee State University's (MTSU) Project Help Class, which serves children with special needs. At Bellwood Elementary School, which has 12 preschool classes with over 250 children from families with low incomes, the library has begun an "Every Child Ready to Read" early literacy program, offering seminars for parents.

"If we call the library, they're at the table. Not just as a body, but as a participant," says Linda Gilbert, an education professor at MTSU and formerly with the Murfreesboro City Schools. The Murfreesboro schools have won several awards, including a 2004 award for school-community partnerships from the American Association of School Administrators, and Gilbert cites the library as being a key part in these awards.

And within the Walls

The main library has also developed a series of programs that targets children of all ages. Story hours are now held three days a week for 11-week cycles. For kids two to five years old, each age group has its own time, during which children participate in developmentally-appropriate activities. Day-care centers and preschool programs also book visits to the library, and, in all, more than 300 children a week are served through story hours.

The library staff recognized that second through fifth graders may be getting short shrift, so they created a Chapter Book Club that meets on Saturdays throughout the school year. Everyone receives a chapter book a month, from which they read aloud, design a craft, and of course have a snack. Also, a partnership with the local parks and recreation department provides regular workshops on wood burning, ice cube painting, and other arts-and-crafts projects.

In the summer, the library now holds two reading programs. The Family Reading program, which recruits children 12 and under, sets an age-appropriate goal for each of its participants, rewards them with an incentive prize midway through the meetings, and presents kids with a grab bag at the end. Throughout the summer, there are afternoon programs arranged through partnerships with Ripley's Aquarium in the Smokies, the Natural History Museum of Kentucky, and others. The library's young adult program, which focuses on writing book reviews, has become an unexpected hit. In all, over 2,500 children and young adults participate in the summer programs.

The Socratic Method

Probably the best example of Linebaugh's willingness to reach out to youth in new ways is the Café Symposium. The brainchild of MTSU student Ashley Edlington, the project began as a "service learning practicum," in which students become engaged in partnerships with community organizations to address local needs. Edlington, then a philosophy major, wanted to give high school students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about philosophical issues, "Exactly the sorts of things teens never have a chance to experience in the high school curriculum," she says.

Edlington designed a 10-week program and promoted it among several high schools. And teens started showing up. A diverse group of between 30 and 40 students now gathers every Friday afternoon in what Edlington describes as a "coffeehouse atmosphere" to discuss specific questions like "What is art?" or "Can the death penalty be justified?" The program is now in its third season.

"It's successful because it's teens learning from each other," says Edlington. "They gain self-confidence, improve in public speaking, develop critical thinking while showing tolerance and respect." They also come into the library, adds Best, "and learn to see the library as a neutral and safe place in which to exchange ideas."

A Library Transformed

The number of institutions that Linebaugh now considers to be its partners just keeps growing. Read to Succeed, a local initiative to promote reading, has held three reading rallies at the library, which have heightened the community's awareness of literacy. The library registers children for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a charitable organization which provides a free book a month to every child in the county from birth to age five. In all, Best counts more than 40 community partners. "We just started saying yes," says Best, "and one yes just led to another."

Best believes these partnerships have in no way diluted the library's mission; on the contrary, they've strengthened the library by both allowing it to do more and being seen as doing more. The library is well aware that each partnership has become a resource for more than monetary gain. "Positive public relations, volunteers, media contacts, political prowess and 'pull,' and a sharing of ideas and services—these all came from our partnerships," says Best.

Because of their giant step in service to youth, "Linebaugh Library is today seen as a vital, necessary component of the entire community—school systems, university service learning programs, and community events," Best says. "Most importantly, we are seen as an essential part of the literacy process in Rutherford County and the Murfreesboro schools. We're known as an important source for programs and resources that touch children and youth—wherever they are."

Its stunning success in service to youth has energized the library, enhancing how the community perceives it. The library's budget has gone from $1.57 million in 2003 to $1.83 million in 2006 while five new staff members have been added. Fund-raising has exceeded expectations. Other measures, like circulation and cardholders, have also skyrocketed. A new $22 million central library (with a teen room!) has been proposed and been favorably received. A new facilities plan calls for seven additional branches. How to make it all happen? Yes, the library is starting their planning process all over again.

On the way to changing the lives of children and teens, it looks like the Linebaugh Library System ended up changing itself.

Brian Kenney is SLJ's editor-in-chief.