Skye Patrick serves as Library Director of LA County Library, one of the largest public library systems in the nation, serving one of the most diverse populations where the entire range of human experience, or close to it, can be found among Los Angeles County’s 10 million inhabitants. Like most large urban areas, the County is also highly segregated and a lack of equality has caused disparity and challenges in the communities being served. Skye is exploring how libraries in the 21st century can be transformed to address the social, educational, creative, and cultural needs of Los Angeles County residents. With a focus on equity and meeting the needs of the people, she explored how to better position the library as a center of learning to positively impact the quality of life and future of Angelenos.
Fellowship Summary
The Challenge
With my inquiry, I wanted to explore how libraries could be better positioned as cultural entities and enabled to participate more fully in the creative economy in the County of Los Angeles. The public library is the premier repository for the world’s creativity, so my research included the library as infrastructure and as a cultural hub to be experienced rather than viewed as merely transactional. I wanted to find examples of libraries promoting the cultural component of service, focused both on knowledge and creative production. At the beginning of my Stanton tenure, the County Board of Supervisors was very much invested in funding the arts; therefore, part of my challenge was demonstrating how our library system could play a role in the initiative. My goal is to consistently highlight the role public libraries can play in many board-driven policies and initiatives. My inquiry morphed into learning and demonstrating how libraries worldwide were addressing the many systemic issues as well as the social service demands that arise in public spaces, including pandemic recovery needs. Were there more unexplored opportunities for collaboration to meet the vast need? Were there resources we hadn’t tapped to help manage the enormous need in LA County? Could we begin to look at service in new ways or through a different lens by maximizing collaboration? Should libraries continue trying to be all things to all people, or should they maintain defined pillars of service? Through my research, I was presented ideas of reimagined buildings and services, and the re-investment in libraries as cultural hubs and public spaces around the world; much like what is happening here in LA County.
The Proposal
The proposal was to seek great examples of modern, thriving 21st century library models that included infrastructure, services, and collaboration. The research led me around the globe in search of a proof of concept that public libraries could be transformed to address the social, educational, creative, and cultural needs of the LA County constituency.
The Stanton Journey
Initially, I approached the inquiry process very academically, trying to find great use cases of the library as a central hub and cultural asset like museums, providing unique and valuable learning experiences for its users. I went in search of places where the library was revered both for its stature as a cultural icon and its collection, but also for its ability to gather and disseminate the stories of a community. Breaking the world up into four quadrants for research purposes, I tried to find the most relevant examples of what the modern library service consisted of and what it provided for its locale. There were several libraries/cultural centers outside of the country that stood out: libraries in Vancouver, Halifax, Singapore. More specific examples, too, such as the Centre Gabriela Mistral in Chile, the Sao Paulo Cultural Center and Library in Brazil, the Public Library of Victoria in Australia, the Guangzhou Public Library of China, the Deichman Library of Oslo Norway, the Aarhus Public Library and Copenhagen Library both of Denmark. There were further classical libraries inside of museums, privately functioning as “public libraries,” in both Italy and Spain. I tried to find an African country with cutting-edge service models or innovative approaches to librarianship to further my research, but I kept coming up with traditional service models.
Suffice it to say, it was an enormous undertaking, but I felt it achievable with good planning, pre-research, and funding to explore.
Where I am Now
Today, I continue my quest working toward exceptional service and support for our users. The public library continues to find creative ways to contribute to the ever-dynamic priorities of the County by working collaboratively with other County agencies and community groups to meet our community’s needs. My team and I continue to seek solutions for the department’s structural deficit as well as the best ways to position the library as a cultural and literary icon. This library has demonstrated that we play a valuable role in disaster recovery and helping communities stabilize themselves in times of need. My work continues to help community members of Los Angeles County find trusted resources and self-actualize.
