It's Library Week

by Carol Lotz-Felix, Virgin Islands Daily News editorial

April 17, 2008: It's Library Week and I'm not hustling money or chasing down a politician or shaking my head in dismay. I can almost relax - almost celebrate. You see I have the rare satisfaction of watching a vision approaching reality. It's a heady experience.

Eight years ago I helped to resurrect the Friends of the Library because I was so appalled by what I saw at Enid M. Baa Public Library - a library that certainly did not give honor to its namesake. We realized that Baa had severe limitations so we concentrated on advocating for a new library, getting books out to children and collecting used books and putting them in public places for adults.

We reminded people that in earlier years the library had been the center of the community and it was a vital hub to a better life for everyone.

We complained about the lack of services. We told the senators that they needed to appropriate more money. We embarrassed some people by showing them what could be done with a little creativity and publicity. We talked to Parent Teacher Associations, Rotaries and any group that sat still long enough to listen.

We publicized activities at the library. We raised money and bought some new books and announced that we bought them. We supervised the Children's Saturday Morning Reading Program. We organized a Summer Reading Program. The number of people using the library doubled which proved that people felt the library was still necessary.

Then we collected used books and distributed them to free shelves and youth groups. We got a cart to take reading materials through the hospital for the patients. We took books into the waiting rooms at the clinic for the children. We sent volunteers with books to read in Day Care Centers every week.

And we kept talking about reading and the need for a better library and librarians. We testified before the Senate. I remember Jason Budsan handing 'READ' t-shirts to every senator and telling them it was going to cost them one million dollars which was the appropriation on the library bill we were strongly requesting. And they voted for it.

And that was the beginning - literacy is blooming again - and we're seeing the results of all that action. This column is not long enough to give credit to everyone who put their energies into bringing about these changes - they know who they are - it's time to feel proud of what has been accomplished.

Now there are more staff and programs and a terrific experienced librarian at Enid M. Baa. The staff in the children's room supervises the Saturday Morning Children's Reading Program and activities after school and helps with the Summer Reading Program.

Potential librarians are earning their degrees with grants the government received because we were seriously lacking in trained librarians. Schools now have active libraries and librarians and more books and computers.

Two big purple book mobiles were delivered to the territory recently. St. Croix's is already in action and St. Thomas's will begin to visit over a dozen sites on a two week schedule within the month. They are fully stocked with books, periodicals, computers and a library technician.

The design and monies for the new library in Tutu are waiting. The last little puzzle piece finally dropped into place with the donation of a strip of land by the Hartman family for a road to give the building equipment access to the site of the new library on the hill above Plaza Extra. I must commend Governor deJongh for having the good sense to shelf the Archival Center and simply get on with building the library and a special thank you to Senator Dow whose doggedness solved the road problem.

The most impressive step in the development of library services for the Virgin Islands is the recent appointment of Ingrid Bough, a St. Croix native, as Territorial Director of Libraries, Archives and Museums. She is exhibiting one of the finest examples of native pride - an impressive resume of education and career development returning at what must be a significant salary sacrifice to give back to her home. I hope our support makes her contribution worthwhile.

So you see why I'm smiling but I'm not ready to pop the champagne cork yet. Everyone who has ever had a vision knows that as it comes to fruition you see that it needs to be fleshed out so I've still got a list and I'm ready to jump back into the work to see it fulfilled.

The Friends of the St. Thomas Public Libraries will be meeting at Enid M. Baa tonight at 6 p.m. under the leadership of the new President, Judith King Edmeade, to meet Ms Bough and work on plans for the future. All are welcome.

I want to see Library Advisory Boards legislated for each library so that we never, ever reach the depths of inadequate service that we sunk to in the last twenty five years. These are common across the states - members chosen by various elected entities, serve without remuneration to make sure the library truly serves the community.

I want much more publicity about library programs, services, and recent acquisitions. I want new publications purchased and available before they are out of date. It is a shame that I can't walk into Enid M. Baa at this moment and pick up either one of Barack Obama's books.

I hope Ms Bough knows how to develop collections because our libraries are sorely lacking a vision of what a community needs as an adequate information source. The African collection at Baa consisted of seven CIA pamphlets when I came to St. Thomas!

Staff needs to be trained to help people find information either in books or on the computer. Not everyone is ever going to be totally computer literate. I hope I never find the person who decided to destroy the card file system in a territory where the power goes off frequently.

Hopefully now DPNR will be able to find contractors for the renovation contracts that were put out under the past administration so our libraries can be clean and dry places where valuable collections can be preserved.

The library needs to contain all kinds of books at all levels for all of the community. Libraries need to be places where people read together, discuss ideas, share practical information, travel experiences and cultural understandings - community centers of knowledge and exchange where all segments of the community come together.

And of course I want to see that new library, shining in the sun, up there on that hill in Tutu.

Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." And I'm here to testify that what has happened to public libraries in the Virgin Islands over the past five years is a prime example of what can happen with other community challenges if we simply get together and let it be known that we are not going to accept things the way they are.

--- Carol Lotz-Felix