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Building Community Through the Community College Library
by Chrissie Anderson Peters
When I began at the Northeast State Community College library, I joined three librarians with fairly specific roles. Virginia, with the most service years at NSCC, was in charge of periodicals, John was the cataloger, and Annis did inter-library loan and acquisitions. NSCC gained two new positions from the new building opening in the middle of the 2001-2002 academic year; Chris and I began at about the same time - and it was immediately clear that he was a true techie and loved doing web pages and cataloging.
So, here I was with four other librarians, all with specific things they did - and did well. Although each of us took turns at the reference desk, there I was, wondering how my skills and interests would fit into the mix. Luckily, our director, Duncan (who had been a public library director for six years before coming to NSCC), had some ideas in mind. These would utilize my interests, talents, and my eight years of experience in public libraries.
Step One: A Newsletter
Newsletters let us communicate on a closer level than merely listing new books or putting up signage about awards, yet these are also more formal than merely telling storytime parents about upcoming programs. They are relatively inexpensive to produce; most of us have some kind of software that will aid in newsletter creation. Unlike in 1997, when I began my first newsletter, these programs are image-accessible and easily-manipulated. (I recall cutting and pasting clipart from books in our professional development collection for our first few issues!)
The other great thing about publishing a newsletter is that it forces you to keep up. With that in mind, and still testing the waters at Northeast State, I approached Duncan about trying out a library newsletter. We could include a monthly book review, as well as an abbreviated list of new books received, and maybe some web sites of interest. But what I really wanted to do was to let the readers get to know the library staff - not just our names and what we did at the library, but to share that we were real people, with real interests and real lives beyond what happened during our work days.
I remember him looking at me and asking, "Do you think that you will have enough material to do it every month, or just every two or three months?" Every month, I assured him. I suspect that he had his doubts about that, but he gave me permission to proceed. Our first issue was published in November 2001. I just finished Volume 5, Issue 2 - and am proud to say that we have never missed a month for lack of news!
Step Two: Programs For the Public
Duncan wanted to begin offering programs through the library, such as a lunchtime "brown-bag" series where speakers would come in and discuss a hobby or interest while audience members enjoyed their lunch. We decided on the title "Eating With the Experts," and I set about getting to know some of the college's staff/faculty members as potential speakers. Our first speaker was the art instructor, who travels extensively. Other guests from that first year included our media specialist, who has an amazing knowledge and collection of wax cylinders, our resident "star hustler" instructing how to make your own telescope, and a talented raconteur sharing seasonal stories and songs around the holidays. The programs have been well-received, and continue more than three years later. Perhaps our biggest "expert," NASCAR President Mike Helton, visited last March, just before the Spring NASCAR Race in Bristol. He grew up in Bristol, and has a good friend who works at NSCC (who helped make the arrangements).
A second series, Open Books, emerged in 2004. Open Books features authors discussing their work: the process of writing, revising, publishing, marketing, etc. Internationally-acclaimed Appalachian writer Sharyn McCrumb joined us last March for two programs promoting her latest novel, St. Dale, which includes Northeast State in one of the major plot lines. I had the honor of assisting with some research for the book, and was thrilled that NSCC was to be mentioned - and overwhelmed when she offered to do the programs for us at no charge. Additionally, we have featured many local authors, and have also had visits from authors such as Tayari Jones. We will feature Sharon Hatfield in March 2006.
Step Three: Be Our Guests
We have found great success in getting community members into the college, merely by extending the invitation. The general public can come in and use our facilities and services in a number of ways. First, they can check out books, videos, DVDs, music CDs, and more. Secondly, they can use our Internet connection (we have had people from as far away as New Zealand to utilize this service). Several truck drivers use our books-on-tape/CD, and several older community members come in and voraciously make use of our extensive popular fiction collection. Thirdly, we have two meeting rooms in the library that can be used at no cost for non-profit meetings, as well as for library-related programs. In short, we do whatever we can to get the public in and then to make them feel at home once they arrive, knowing that positive customer service is the best way to keep folks coming back.
Step Four: Taking the College To the Community
Perhaps the most unique program I've been involved with at NSCC is the CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents In School) Grant landed by the early childhood education department about three years ago. As a former youth services librarian, I thought that providing monthly storytimes to the preschools that partnered with us for the grant would be great PR - and also probably a useful service that would be appreciated by the preschool partners.
For over two years, I made monthly visits to these five child care facilities and provided a monthly newsletter for all of the children in these centers, not just the ones whose parents were CCAMPIS Grant recipients. For the three Decembers that we worked with the project, I made handmade crafts to distribute to all of the children in the centers, too, making sure to put NSCC and the year on them.
I hope that, when these children are college-aged, they will hold fond memories of our time together in the company of great books (and a cool Folkmanis black bear puppet named Bobby), and that those memories will help steer them "Northeast." I think that it is safe to say that this unorthodox program was a huge success for all involved. We also used it as a bridge to get involved with the Imagination Library initiative spreading across Tennessee, geared towards empowering children with a love of books and reading before they get to kindergarten. The rewards on all fronts have been substantial!
One of the big goals for the library, as set forth by NSCC president Dr. William Locke, has been to increase the number of registered "community borrowers" by 20% between 2000 and 2005. (The numbers have climbed from 166 in 2001-2002 to over 600 now.) I was impressed with someone who saw the importance of involving the community in the community college environment.
This all made great marketing sense to me: Make the community feel a sense of belonging, even though they may not have gone to school here, or may not have family enrolled here, and you help them form a bond of familiarity and a sense of belonging that they are not likely to soon forget. Then, when they need to take a class for fun, continuing education, or a career change, they will know who we are and will already feel like a part of our "community." The administration understands public relations and marketing the product that is NSCC. Building the community within and around the campus of Northeast State has been, and continues to be, both thrilling and fulfilling in ways I never imagined.
Chrissie Anderson Peters is a Fall 2002 graduate of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, a program that she participated in as a Distance Education student. A member of the Tennessee Library Association, Boone Tree Library Association, the Sullivan County Imagination Library Council, ALSC, NMRT, and YALSA, she is a Librarian for Northeast State Community College in Blountville, TN. Her passions include writing, music, reading, traveling, her "children" Mel, Reid, Ella, Xander, Willow, Lance, Mariel, and Sophie Britannia (the feline kind), and spending as much time as possible with her husband Russell Peters, who makes her life a joy. Contact Chrissie at capeters@NortheastState.edu.