Libraries reexamine their role in communities through pandemic

Like many other public spaces, libraries were forced to restrict public access during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, librarians shifted how they offer their services and what services they offer. They moved programs online and offered curbside pick-ups. They helped provide resources to people who were homeless, and provided valuable information about pandemic safety to the public.

Many libraries have since reopened, but their role in their communities continues to evolve. 

In addition to pandemic-related changes, digital technologies are also changing libraries, forcing them to reimagine what services they need to offer. And some libraries are facing staffing shortages. 

MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with two Minnesota library leaders and an education writer about the changes they’ve seen and what they think Minnesota’s libraries might look like in the future.

Guests: 

• Karen Lemke is the Library Director at the Rochester Public Library.

• Pang Yang is the deputy director at Ramsey County Libraries.

• Scott Carlson is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education. He recently wrote a report on academic libraries called “The Library of the Future.” 

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Hear their conversation using the audio player above and read the highlights below.

“One service that libraries provided pre-internet was that they were a kind of filter on fake news,” Scott Carlson said. “The role of the librarian to sort of designate what is a valid piece of information and what is not really has grown.”

He added that librarians are struggling with budget constraints as they work to serve students, academia and their communities.

A listener, Andrew, called in to share his memories of growing up in North Dakota and visiting the library just a few blocks away from his grade school. In the children’s section, he said, “there was a bathtub lined with pillows and painted with an octopus. So, you could go and sit in the bathtub and read your books.” He said that at 47, he could still tell you where to find the library’s copy of “The Boxcar Children.”

Todd called in to share his appreciation for how well libraries have served his kids. “Some of the Hennepin County libraries have little rotating spaces that let them pretend to be, you know, post office workers or bakers, and they love browsing the shelves and seeing books,” he said. “I get to follow their enthusiasm, which is a wonderful thing for parents to do.”

At the Rochester Public Library, director Karen Lemke said the pandemic demonstrated that “when individuals don’t have a home, and there is a stay-at-home order, there’s an issue.” She said that in 2020 they worked with Olmsted County, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, city teammates, community organizations and volunteers to provide access to essentials like a bathroom and running water.

Now, social workers can help visitors at the Rochester Public Library access services. “Not everyone is comfortable walking into a traditional government building,” Lemke said. “So, this is a really natural fit of meeting people where they feel comfortable.”

At Ramsey County Libraries, deputy director Pang Yang spoke about librarians as “social-first responders.”

Yang said during the pandemic, libraries fielded a range of calls – from needing help on a computer to concerns about a family member’s mental health. “Part of it is making sure that we center staff, and we center the community,” she said.

Yang said they provide staff training to use the resources they have, and that they partner with organizations and departments to address community members’ more specialized needs.

A listener, Melissa, called in from Sioux Falls. “My high school library probably, like, saved my life,” she said. “I had a really rough childhood. And I would disappear into books a lot.” Library staff took notice, and encouraged her to work with them as a librarian’s aide. She shelved and repaired books.

“That one simple course was the best experience I had through my high school entirely,” Melissa said.

“We want to connect people to information because we do believe in the value of good, quality information, but sometimes the resource isn’t information,” Lemke said. “It really is about helping people and being here for our community.”

Yang added that during the pandemic, Ramsey libraries worked with the county to provide laptops and internet hotspots for people without access at home. They will keep working to provide internet services for community members who need it.