Mónica Klien, a beloved member of the Cambridge Public Library’s English as a Second Language (ESL) family, passed away in January 2020.  A professor of languages and Latin American literature who taught at Georgetown University, MIT, and Wellesley College, Mónica started teaching ESL at the Library in 2015 and described it as the most rewarding experience of her career. Mónica was born and raised in Peru and so, like her students, discovered English as a secondary language.​

​Mónica taught at the Library until weeks before her death and many of her friends and family honored her life with a gift to the Library Foundation. A bright light gone too soon, we are honored to remember Mó​nica by sharing this touching short essay she wrote about her life and her experience teaching at the Library.

I am standing in front of eighteen students in the basement of the library. This is not the glass palace of the main library, but one of the other branches in a grittier part of town. It is a bunker-style structure, surrounded by piles of snow left by the monster 2015 New England Winter.  We are doing a vocabulary exercise where I show them a written word or phrase, and they have to describe it with words in English.  I show them “MAKE UP”, and different people scream different things: What ladies put on to look pretty! When you kiss after a fight with your husband! To invent a story!
 
For more than twenty years, I have taught Latin American Literature and Culture and Spanish in beautiful universities and colleges with brick towers surrounded by green lawns and flowers. Places with implicit rules of conduct, where mostly –with few exceptions- the children of privilege attend. After 10 years of teaching at Georgetown University in Washington DC, restlessness started setting in. I often thought of other possibilities: growing my own vegetables in a farm (I had only planted tomatoes and parsley in pots); starting a shelter for old and abused horses (I was 12 the last time I was near a horse);  making different kinds of empanadas with the hope of creating an empanada empire a la Georgetown Cupcakes (until one afternoon, while driving  in Dupont Circle, I  noticed a new shining place called House of Empanadas). I thought of many other possibilities, to which my husband would skeptically comment, “Ahhh, that really would be a successful enterprise!”
 
In 2009, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had chemo, and then resumed teaching.  A couple of years later, life brought us to Cambridge, and I took the road well traveled simply, oh well, Robert Frost, because it was easier.  I landed a job in a prestigious women’s college, where I received, for the first time in my teaching career, a negative evaluation from the students: not nurturing enough, too cold.  A colleague suggested I take food to class. I was appalled by the demands of the spoiled few and the obsession with grades, appalled by a system of over-empowered students and professors eager to please no matter what, appalled by the constant departmental bickering which ultimately leads to bad choices and a demeaning of the whole process of transferring knowledge to a new generation. I taught a couple more semesters there, but I was basically done, finished, finito.
 
This decision more or less coincided with my health going south. And I don’t mean going south to the Rio Grande, but south to the South Pole. I did not teach in 2014. It was an extremely challenging year.  I had a recurrence, a surgery and then landed in the emergency room twice. One of those times I had to stay in the hospital for nine days. At the end of the year, I visited my patient portal and scrolled down and down and down to the tens, the hundreds, of appointments for MRIs, CT scans, doctor of this, doctor of that. I wept when I saw that screen.
 
It is a mixed crowd today there in the library basement.  We have a small United Nations: Chinese, Russians, Iranians, Mexicans, Nepalese, Ukrainians, Chileans, Syrians, French, Haitians. Nobody is younger than late twenties. I’m worried we are making too much noise because Maria’s office has a window to the classroom.   Maria is the coordinator who gracefully and efficiently leads students and volunteers of multiple ESL classes in all the libraries of Cambridge.
 
The students are on fire, after we finish with the multiple meanings of “MAKE UP.” One woman screams: Teacher! Did you wear make up today??  I am a little taken aback but say, maybe a little. Another yells: Teacher! Do you have a husband?? Well… yes, yes, I do. Yet, another, Teacher! Do you like your husband?? Yes, I like him!! There is a lot of laughter. I feel alive, connected to these people who give thanks after every class without knowing I am a volunteer, who probe into my personal life in surprising ways. I feel connected to them by the purest form of transmission, without all the constraints that many American higher education institutions have fallen into.  Yes, yes, I give these students a little. I wonder if they know how much they give me.

What is your role at the Library?
I am the manager of Communications, Programs and Events at the Cambridge Public Library. With my team, I manage internal and external communications. That includes managing our social media platform, writing press releases, bulk marketing emails, updating our website, and coordinating with the city on messaging and communications when necessary. My Department is also responsible for planning and executing events and programs in support of strategic priorities – some suggested by community members. We have a range of programs at the Library, from author talks to art exhibitions and lecture series.

How do you decide what programs to put on at the Library?
We take suggestions from community members, the Library team, the Director – every six weeks we have a programming meeting where our committee reviews proposed events.

What is a typical day at work like for you? I imagine it’s quite different now than it was when the Library was open, of course!
That’s right! If I could talk a little about how it was in the building – the Library is a very fast-paced, dynamic environment with a lot going on. On top of managing programs and events, my team also manages use of Library spaces. Things can move very quickly at the Library, and there are many stakeholders involved – from the Library branches to the Mayor’s office. It’s a lot of fun! And I am honored to work at the Library, to have an opportunity to work in service to the community.
Things are different now with remote work and virtual programming. We have the infrastructure set up for remote work, using software like Microsoft Teams. It definitely requires more focus when you’re working from home! We have shifted our focus to virtual programs and rely more on social media to communicate with our patrons than previously. We have seen great attendance for our virtual programs. On July 2nd, the communal reading of Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” and the US Declaration of Independence was attended by nearly 300 people. In May, we had Porsha Olayiwola, Boston’s poet laureate, present a virtual reading with about 190 people in attendance. The Library’s Virtual Family Story Times are always full, too!
Although our programs are popular, it is important to keep in mind the gap in access to technology, particularly in low income black and brown households. It is difficult to evaluate the success of any program when you know that a cross section of the community will not be able to participate because they do not have access to technology. This is a great challenge, and it’s important that we work to bridge this gap. We hope to engage our stakeholders to find solutions to this challenge in the future.

What are your favorite events that the Library has hosted?
It’s hard to choose – we have held some really good ones! The communal reading of the Frederick Douglass speech and the Declaration of Independence earlier this month was great – the Douglass  reading thoroughly debunked the Declaration of Independence and I think it was important that we hosted the event when we did. And  Porsha Olayiwola’s reading was really powerful. Last year we hosted a talk with Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University, as part of our International Briefing series, on the BJP and the rise of Hindu Nationalism in India.  The event was well attended and Dr. Varshney gave a great lecture on how minority communities in India are faring in the wake of the BJP’s rise to power. The talk also addressed human rights and highlighted the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities which we see happening in Myanmar and other places in the world.
We also hosted a professor named Jennifer Nash in early March. She conducted research among black doulas working for little or no pay in Chicago, and their importance in providing community healthcare and advocacy, within the context of black identity. That was another fantastic event.
Finally, another one that comes to mind was the talk by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, hosted in February. He is a controversial figure, but I think it is important that the Library host a range of viewpoints.

How did you end up working for the Library?
I started working at the City of Cambridge in 2009 as the Coordinator of Special Projects with Mayor Denise Simmons. In this role I liaised with different segments of the community including the clergy and minority communities. I worked for a time after this at other city departments – when Simmons was reelected to the City Council I served as her City Council aide, and when she was reelected as Mayor in 2016 I joined her office as the Deputy Chief of Staff. Here I worked on different policy measures including an effort to unilaterally raise the minimum wage in Cambridge. It was a great experience working in the Mayor’s Office, but after a while I wanted something different and was interested in transitioning to a different role in a city department. The mayor’s office had collaborated with the Library a number of times, and I was familiar with the Library’s operations and experienced in events. I applied for a position at the Library and was promoted after a year, and I have been working in this role ever since.

​Is there anything else you would like to share?
Right now I am working on two separate task forces at the Library to address issues of race and injustice, which were formed following the recent George Floyd protests by Director McCauley. With Em St. Germain I am heading a task force to come up with library programming to address racism. I am also on another Task Force addressing racism more broadly. I think these task forces present a great vehicle and opportunity to address some of issues around access, equity and inclusion which are very important to Director McCauley and to our stakeholders, and I look forward to the type of sincere and in-depth conversation and self-evaluation you would expect from a public-facing institution.

Thank you, Muna!

What do you do at the Library?
I am the archivist at the Cambridge Public Library, and, to make it very simple, I collect, preserve, describe and make available records of enduring value that document the history of Cambridge.

What does a typical day look like for you?
I am responsible for answering all reference requests – in person and remote requests. I interface a lot with the public in that way – answering questions, connecting patrons to resources, et cetera. I am responsible for curating the collection – going into the community and working with various community members, organizations and families to build the collection.
Once a collection comes in, there’s all kinds of administrative work that needs to be done around creating a Deed of Gift (the terms in which the donation comes to the Library). There is what we call processing in the profession, which is organizing the material in such a way that researchers can use it: describing it and making the description of the collection searchable online. The next step is digitizing the collection, and that entails a lot of technical pieces to make the images discoverable as well as making the collection freely available to anyone with an internet connection.
I’m in charge of exhibits and public programming, so, I’m teaching workshops that I develop curriculum for, and finding professionals or experts on a particular topic to give talks at the Library. I also do some social media outreach… my day-to-day job can touch any one of those pieces. It’s varied, and I’m using a lot of different skills all the time.

​How do things come into the collection? People reaching out, you reaching out to them? I imagine it’s kind of a mix of those.
It is a mix! People do come to me when they have something that may be historically valuable. And usually I can make a decision right on the spot about whether it is or isn’t – and when I talk about historically valuable, I’m talking about things that are completely unique to Cambridge and to the Library. There are a lot of other collecting institutions in the city, and not a lot of space, so we want to make sure we’re not duplicating efforts – I have to triage what comes to me. But most of my efforts to get material entail going out to the community, working with various partners, and building a network to get collections to the Library for people to use.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working with Cambridge’s African American community, to document, preserve, and make available their wonderful, amazing, difficult, painful and nearly 400-year history in the city. It’s important to work with communities, especially communities that have been underserved, traditionally in our society, or under-documented because of institutionalized racism and prejudice. It takes a lot of trust building and creating relationships, and really saying: “Your history is essential to our city’s understanding of itself, and it is my job to document it and make it available to all in perpetuity.”
I’m slowly starting to receive donations, and it’s exciting.  The Cambridge Community Center is donating their records –  they’re a 91 year-old  organization, located in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge, just off Western Avenue, that serves the city’s Black community.

Is there anything that’s come into the collection recently that’s been particularly exciting for you?
Yes! The Johnson-Cardozo Family Papers I received last year is a fantastic collection that documents four generations of African Americans in the city. The collection includes personal papers – and personal papers are often very difficult to collect because they have so much meaning and value to individuals. Families often prefer to keep these kinds of papers rather than donate them to an institution, which is totally understandable. There are phenomenal materials in this collection – photo albums going back to the early 20th century, portraits, diplomas, family recipes, bibles, and published and unpublished manuscripts. There are even bronze cast baby shoes! 
​The most important piece from this collection is a bible from the donor’s great-grandfather, Robert Johnson. ​Johnson was a formerly enslaved man who sought freedom from a plantation in Virginia through the Underground Railroad and came to Boston in 1829. This family bible has Johnson’s genealogy on the inside cover. The bible in and of itself has no historic value: it’s an inexpensive, mass produced bible from the mid-19th century, but its provenance is just so incredible. I received some funding to get it conserved so that researchers can use it and it can be displayed. This bible is just such an amazing addition to the Library. 

Could you talk a little about working at the Library? What do you like about working in the Cambridge Room, and working at the CPL in general?
There are many things that go into the love of my job.  It’s great to be an archivist in a public library, where the barriers to entry are so low.  In a lot of archival repositories, researchers are required to make appointments or have an academic reason to use collections. When the Cambridge Room is open, I can just prop open the door and anybody can wander in and explore. And, we have such a dedicated patron base that is enthusiastic about the history of the city.
The Cambridge Public Library building is special. The space is beautiful here, in the Archives and Special Collections – a lot of archives are in the basement or in the attic or tucked away, but this collection is on the second floor, prominently displayed. Even the thought of where the Archives is placed in the building is brilliant – it’s on the north side of the building, so there’s no direct light to damage the rare books and artifacts that are on display. It’s just a beautiful space for researchers and staff to work in with all the amenities, like high density storage, that an archival repository needs.
Another aspect of my job that I really enjoy is teaching.  I try to bring my skills as an archivist to the community with public programming – for example, I offer workshops on how to preserve family photographs and how to conduct oral histories. These classes are very popular. We have an engaged citizenry who is interested in their own history and the history of Cambridge. That’s inspiring – to present to a full room of engaged and truly interested people. ​Lastly, our staff is amazing! They are knowledgeable, kind, excellent professionals to work with.

​How did you get interested in archival studies? Do you have any advice for anyone who is interested in working in an archive?
I studied humanities in undergrad and was not interested in pursuing a teaching path. I was exploring career options and saw that I could get a dual degree Master of Archives and Master of History at Simmons University and I thought, this is great, I can continue studying humanities and have a practical application for it. It really fit my academic desires as well as my career goals.  I’m such a typical librarian – I love to get information to people! There’s a lot of independent work that is done in archives. You can spend a lot of time cataloging rare books or processing collections, which is intense, detail oriented work, so there’s that aspect of it that I enjoy. On the other hand, there’s a social aspect to it that I love –  teaching, working with researchers, working with the community, and making connections. There’s a nice balance.
Advice for aspiring archivists? I think that if you’re interested in humanities and interested in history, working in the archives profession is a wonderful way to continue in that vein while also providing public service. Having a Master’s degree in History is useful – it gives you a leg up in the field as you’re applying for jobs. An internship where you’re actually processing collections is important, because you’ll know if you like the work and you’ll get the experience.

What can people explore from the collection online while the Library is closed during the pandemic?
Our most popular online resource is the Historic Cambridge Newspaper Collection, which offers four newspaper titles, including the Cambridge Chronicle, the longest running newspaper in the city’s history.  The collection, spanning the years 1846 to 2015, is fully searchable and has the additional advantage of creating a community of users who share and tag articles as well as correct newspaper text that has been garbled in the process of being digitized.  The crowdsourcing component of the collection has been fantastic:  nearly 650,000 lines of text have been corrected so that articles are more easily discoverable. 
Cambridge City Directories from 1848 to 1972 are also freely available.  The directories list the names and addresses of people living in the city, along with businesses, schools, organizations, and local government officials.  Included in the directories are wonderful advertisements from long defunct Cambridge and Boston businesses. This resource is widely used by historians and genealogist worldwide. 
Several photograph and textural collections are available to browse.  Users can look at the full collection of renowned documentary photographer and lifelong political activist Olive Pierce, who made Cambridge the subject of her mid-career.  Her photos depict the turbulent political scene of the 1970s, the lives of the children of the North Cambridge Housing Project Jefferson Park, and Cambridge Rindge and Latin students from the 1980s. A selection of Pierce’s photographs is currently on display at the Library.  All the Archives and Special Collections digital collections are easily accessible on the Library’s website.  Lastly, people can follow the Cambridge Room blog for news about the Archives and Special Collections as well as stories about Cambridge history.

​Thank you, Alyssa!

On June 17, 2020, the Cambridge Public Library Foundation hosted bestselling authors Erik Larson and Alan Furst for a virtual event in front of a limited audience. Now, we are pleased to share the video of their lively and fascinating conversation for our entire community.

Erik Larson is the author of six national bestsellers: The Splendid and the Vile, Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, The Devil in the White City, and Isaac’s Storm, which have collectively sold more than 9 million copies.

Alan Furst is widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel. He is the author of Under Occupation, A Hero of France, Midnight in Europe, Mission to Paris, and many other bestsellers.

Please click the image below to watch A Conversation with Erik Larson and Alan Furst.

As we celebrate Juneteenth this year, we are reminded that our work is not done. The events of the past several months have exposed glaring inequities in our society. COVID-19 is killing disproportionately more Black and Brown people, Black Americans are being murdered in broad daylight and unemployment is projected to be in the double digits for a very long time.
Racism is baked into American culture. We have all known this, and yet our actions to combat it have not been enough. The Cambridge Public Library Foundation stands for inclusion, tolerance, social justice and economic opportunity for all people. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and we are proud to support a library system that opens its doors to everyone and provides resources regardless of race, gender, age, physical ability or economic means with the finest professional staff in the country. We are steadfast in supporting the Library’s phased reopening to ensure that everyone feels safe and welcome to the Library’s free and high-quality services without question.
W.E.B. Du Bois famously named “the problem of the color line” the major issue of the 20th century. He couldn’t foresee racism infecting the next century as well, but the Library Foundation has long championed the battle against this social ill as one of our primary purposes. To that end, we are committed to sponsoring Library programs such as Our Path Forward to ask how our City can continue to engage in that struggle and dialogue. The Cambridge Public Library Foundation commits itself to the continuation and elevation of the fight to root out racism and invites all sectors of the public to join us in this effort.

Shippen Page
Board President, Cambridge Public Library Foundation
June 19, 2020

Dear Friends,
 
When the world reopens and life resumes its new normal, the Cambridge Public Library will face one of the greatest challenges in its 130 year history – safely meeting our community’s growing educational, creative and collective needs. If you can consider a charitable gift, let me assure you that every dollar given to the Library today will impact the future of our community.
 
School closings caused by the pandemic have been a great challenge. Children and teens’
educations and academic progress have slowed or come to a complete halt. The Library has stepped in to bridge that gap with free, convenient educational programming steered by passionate youth librarians and unlimited access to the world of books. Your gift will help the Library continue to bridge this critical gap.
 
Entrepreneurs of all ages are making plans to advance their ideas and build out their dreams. The Library’s Hive Makerspace will fuel them with high and low-tech tools training, workspace and materials for creative projects, and classes for advanced learning. Your gift will help sustain STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) at the Library, fostering creativity and resilience.
 
Low income and marginalized individuals are struggling to navigate an increasingly complex and evolving world. Patrons need access to technology like hotspots (for internet access) and laptops that they check out and use at home for school, work and job seeking. The Library’s English language classes, instructional courses on basic computer skills, and community reputation as a safe and reliable place for help and information make it a lifeline for many. Your gift will enrich the Library’s offerings for our most vulnerable populations.
 
Finally, library staff must feel and be safe doing the job that they love – serving all of us. To that end, they need critical supplies and must pivot to do their work in new ways. Increased virtual programming means that staff require special equipment like headsets and software. Your gift will help the Library provide vital services during its closure and help reopen its doors as soon as it is safely possible. 
 
As we all adjust to this new normal, I am deeply grateful for the Cambridge Public Library – one of our community’s greatest assets. Thank you for considering a gift to support its work during this pandemic and for supporting the Library staff who will rise and meet the great challenges that lay ahead. 

​Stay safe and be well,

What do you do at the Library?
I am the Manager of Adult Services here at the Cambridge Public Library. I oversee the operation of the department – the services that we provide to adult patrons. I work with my team to provide programs, readers’ advisory, information services, and assist with basic computing needs. We help people get information and their other needs from the Library.

And that includes programming for Seniors as well! Could you tell me a little about that?
Absolutely! Recently, we’ve been able to put more focus on programming for seniors thanks to a generous anonymous donor through the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. About 3-4 years ago we started our Creative Aging series and it’s been an amazing experience for everyone  involved, especially our patrons.

How do you choose what kind of programs to offer at the Library?
A lot of times, it’s based on what people want or need! Back to Creative Aging – when we first launched the program, we conducted a survey and asked patrons what type of programs they would like to see. With other programs, it’s based on interest, or what we think might be interesting to patrons, and making sure they align with the Library's strategic priorities.

What does a typical day at the Library look like for you?
First, I meet with my team, then we greet our patrons coming in the morning, making sure everything is working well to meet their various needs. Most often they’re looking for a book, needing to print a document, or using our computers for Internet access. Other times, we direct them to appropriate resources or programs that are offered. The rest of the day, I work with my colleagues to plan programs and work on ways we can enhance our existing services.

How long have you been working at the Library?
Almost five years! I’ve worked in libraries since 2002. I’ve worked in St. Louis County Public Library and also Leon County in Florida.

What made you interested in working in libraries?
I saw an article about information brokering and I was really fascinated with the organization of information. I was a campus organizer before I went to library school. I like the social justice aspect of public service, helping people, that really appealed to me.

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Cambridge Public Library?
Working with my colleagues, the diversity of the patrons and how grateful they are with the service we provide for them – I think that’s the most enjoyable part. Among all the libraries I’ve worked at, it’s particularly great to see the strong support and appreciation Cambridge has for its libraries.

Do you have any advice for people who are interested in studying library science?
Understand that it’s not always about being able to read books! Sometimes people believe that if you love books, then this is the job for you – which is one of the perks. The important part is having that social justice drive of wanting to help and welcome everyone into the library.
​
Speaking of books – do you have any book recommendations?
I am currently reading There There by Tommy Orange. It’s a story about Native Americans  living in Oakland, California, told from different character’s perspectives and at some point they all converge – so far it’s been quite fascinating.

 
What programs are coming up at the Library?
The Creative Aging program we have right now is Creative Aging Improv – so far, we’ve only had two sessions, and people have just been gushing about it! The next one that’s coming up is Creative Aging Standup at Central Square, that’s going to start in May. [Editor's note: this program has been postponed indefinitely.] On top of that, we started  a series focused on Wellness for Seniors – we have chair yoga, dancing and drumming, moving and grooving, Tai Chi, and Zumba Gold – it’s quite an extensive variety of exercises for older adults, and it’s offered at most of the branches.
Another thing we’re excited about – we have partnered with the Cambridge Center for Adult Education to offer a language learning circle program, which is a peer-to-peer learning experience.  The program is an Introduction to Korean Language Learning Circle and it’s a series of six classes where a librarian will facilitate the course. During the course you will be introduced to beginners’ level Korean, and get a chance to explore the language through Korean TV drama, K-pop, Korean food, and use the Virtual Reality headset to immerse yourself in a Korean market. So that’s going to be exciting!

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about?
Ever since we’ve done the Creative Aging program, it’s been a really amazing experience – there’s some work that goes into it, selecting the program, selecting the instructor, promoting it and getting people signed up, but once the program starts and we see the  progression from the first to the last class – where in the beginning participants tend to be timid, then at the end, they’ve broken down those barriers, they proudly show off what they’ve learned in the culminating event. Many of them not only gain a set of creative art skills, but gain confidence, pride, and enjoy long lasting social engagement from their peers. We are grateful for the support we receive to be able to provide great programs and services.

Thank you, Diana!

Please note that upcoming events are prone to change in accordance with the Library's closure.

Library exterior photo (c) Stu Rosner.

Dear Friends,

In these unprecedented times, we are keenly aware of what is truly important: the health of our family and loved ones, the critical work of first responders and the medical community, and the basic needs of the most vulnerable in our community. Each one of you is playing a vital role - staying home if you can, flattening the curve through isolation and helping to bring Cambridge and greater Boston through this global crisis.

We know that you also care deeply about the Cambridge Public Library and that its closure is difficult, particularly now. I am writing with an update about how the Library and Foundation are evolving and responding to this crisis, and how you can continue to access Library services from the comfort of your own home.

What is happening at the Library?

All seven library branches are currently closed for business, with no timeline for reopening. When they do reopen, you can expect a slow return to normal. But rest assured that the most anticipated community events will be rescheduled. These include the opening of The Hive, the Library's new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) makerspace, and the unveiling of the donated Kehinde Wiley print, Portrait of a Girl Veiled.

While the buildings are shut down, the Library is operating in an enhanced capacity in its virtual form, with new resources, virtual programming and collections. You can read a comprehensive message from Library Director, Dr. Maria McCauley, here. A couple of highlights include: Your Next Great Read, where a Librarian will help you find your next favorite book based on a short questionnaire; virtual Family Story Time at 11:00am on Thursdays for Cambridge’s youngest residents; and special STEAM programming for teens. Additionally, you and your family can access streaming and eServices, including eBooks, movies, classes, historical documents and more for both education and entertainment.

The Library is also building out some virtual programming around the arts that will both support local artists and bring the arts to people in their homes. You can find more information about that program here.

Finally, Library leadership is working to get books into the hands of the most vulnerable in Cambridge. They are exploring partnerships with local organizations providing food assistance and COVID-19 health services to get free books to individuals and families to keep as gifts.

We are so grateful for the Library’s provision of expanded and enhanced free resources for the community during this challenging time, and for the public service of Cambridge’s dedicated Library leaders and staff. We are also very grateful to all of you who have been advocates and donors for years, supporting the strong public library infrastructure that is making all the difference in Cambridge right now.

What is happening at the Foundation?

With our staff working from home, the Foundation continues to operate as normally as possible. Since the closure, the Foundation has provided increased funding for programming and collections, and has been working to promote the eServices of the Library.

We have also created the Foundation blog you're reading right now, featuring an ongoing series that will profile some of the Librarian super-stars that you know and love. Our first piece, about Youth Services Manager Julie Roach, is live now! We look forward to continuing to bring you good news about the Library and its amazing staff. The Foundation's work to support the Library is a constant, despite the world spinning around us.

I am sending each and every one of you best wishes for good health and safety. The Foundation will continue to bring you the comforts, joy, power and promise of the Library as best we can during these uncertain times.

Be well,

Katie Welch, Director

P.S. The Foundation will do everything that we can during this pandemic, and will be ready to support the Library when the doors finally reopen. Please feel free to support us now, if you feel moved and if you can. We are truly grateful.

​What do you do at the Library?
I manage youth services at the Library. That means I am responsible for coordinating public programs, outreach, collections, and face-to-face service for kids, teens, families, and anyone associated with them – teachers, counselors, students, and other librarians.

What’s a typical day at the Library look like for you?
Every day is dramatically different at the Library! I have a team that I manage of professional and paraprofessional librarians. We want to make sure that the spaces are friendly, welcoming, and open, that people are getting what they need, and that librarians are getting out, bringing the library to other people. We’re also making sure that our collection is in good shape, and we are planning for what’s coming.
​
What would you say is your favorite thing is about working in the Library and working with kids specifically?
My favorite thing that happens in the Library is getting kids connected to what is personally exciting to them. If there’s a book that resonates with them, I think that being the conduit for that is one of the most magical things that happens.

​And the circulation in the children’s room is really high, right?
Yes! We own about 80,000 items and about 35,000 go out every single month. Children and families in Cambridge are real readers! They are very passionate and dedicated to the Library.

Why do you think the circulation is so high?
Having a strong collection on the shelf is really important. Also, I think that the staff, the professional children’s librarians in Cambridge, are exceptional at readers’ advisory. The children’s librarians are reading in their personal time, all the time. They’re reading at home, they’re reading on their commute, they’re reading all the time to try and stay up to date so that they can talk to kids about books and help kids find what to read next.
​
A librarian is not a parent or a teacher. They can build a relationship or a rapport with a child over pleasure reading in a way that it can be hard for another adult to. We work hard to build that trust with kids, so that they can see that we like and appreciate things that they do, that we can help them make choices that they’ll actually like, rather than what someone else might say is good for them. We’re always trying to connect kids with books that are going to speak to them, and we’re perhaps less concerned with what could be something that they could, you know, learn from. We want to try and spark their personal interest so that that learning will be more self-driven.
​
I can imagine – it’s such an empowering thing, to be a kid and be able to go in and just check out anything that you want. I don’t think there are a lot of places in your life where you can do that, especially when you’re five!
​I think the Library is the one place that a child really has some agency. We’re very committed to a child’s privacy in the library, and for them to be able to check out whatever they want. If a child wants a book that’s too easy for them or too hard for them, you know, who cares?  I always encourage families to borrow it anyway! Getting to make that choice is going to bring a child so much closer to loving reading than hearing, no, that book’s not right for you.

How did you get interested in working in the Library, and in the children’s room?
That’s kind of a long story! I studied to be a journalist, I went to Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. The biggest thing I learned while getting that journalism degree is that I would not be a good journalist! So when I graduated from college I had this great degree, and was kind of at a loss about what to do. I started doing some editing work and working in advertising, and I was kind of looking for a career. I stumbled upon Simmons and library school. I didn’t know much about working for a Library – I didn’t know you had to have a degree to become a librarian. So I did a little research and I thought, well, this would be something that meets all of my interests – I had always loved children’s literature, my mom was a first grade teacher. There were lots of books in our house and we went to the library a lot, so I appreciated the art and the text in a children’s book. I had always volunteered working with kids – so I just started to try it out. After I got my master’s degree, I worked at a couple of public libraries in Massachusetts before the job in Cambridge opened up. I’ve been here since 2005.

I wonder if you could also tell me a little bit — I know you’ve been involved with the Caldecott Committee too – you chaired it this year, right? How was it?
It was a wonderful experience! I had such an incredible committee – the Caldecott committee is made up of fifteen people including the chair. Half are elected, half are appointed, and it was a smart, dedicated group of people. You become very close over the year because you’re working really hard on this big goal. It was a great experience and I cherish the bond that the committee made, and the choices that came out of the experience together.

​What makes children’s literature good? What makes the book “the pick”?
Good is such a strange word! Every book is good – it’s not “is it good,” but how is it good? For the Caldecott committee, we are evaluating the art of a picture book, so we’re looking for the most distinguished picture book published in the United States in a given year, and we are solely considering the art. That’s a big challenge, because some books are illustrated in a cartoon style, and some are painted in very realistic oils – there’s a gazillion different styles and media that people use to create children’s books. If you spend some time with them, they really are works of art – there are all kinds of things going on with shape, line, color, texture, design. We’re trying to find: what is the best at what it’s trying to do with the art? And in the end, our committee of fifteen people chose what we chose, and a different committee of fifteen people might choose something else. You can know a lot of about art, and you can discuss art, but in the end, everyone looks at art in a different way.
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Is there anything coming up in the children’s room you’d like us to know about?
Summer reading is always a huge deal at the Cambridge Public Library!  We plan to have public programs happening every day this summer, three times the usual amount. I want to give props to the Foundation – that extra financial support has helped us have a lot more programs. We’re also trying to have more programs on Saturdays and evenings so that working families can attend.  Kids are invited to try all sorts of different challenges to complete their summer reading experience.  The other thing that’s coming up this fall – we’re looking to have the illustrator Bryan Collier come to the Library to do a program for families.

Thank you, Julie!

Please note that upcoming events are prone to change in accordance with the Library's closure.

​Children's room photography (c) Stu Rosner. Julie Roach photo (c) Christine Spadafor.

We are very pleased to share some inspiring news. Last week, the Cambridge Public Library Foundation received a gift of $25,000 from the Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund to support the Library’s operations during this time of increased need. While the coronavirus keeps us increasingly socially distant, people are exploring the Library’s online resources more than ever. With this gift, the Library will implement additional rollouts of remote services, e-resources, programs and technology.
 
The Foundation is deeply grateful to the Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund for this gift, and for helping the Library continue to play a critical role for people in Cambridge and beyond. The Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund previously supported STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) at the Library, with a $75,000 gift in 2019. Their generosity during this unprecedented time will bring much-needed joy and connection to our Library community.
 
The Library and Foundation are committed to supporting our community during these uncertain times. Earlier this month through Foundation support, the Library increased patrons’ access to Hoopla, which provides an array of e-content such as books, audiobooks, music, movies and more.
 
A beacon of solace, hope, and discovery for over 130 years, the Cambridge Public Library will continue to support our community no matter what’s going on in the world. During this difficult and uncertain time, the Library is here 24/7 through online resources. And, once life returns to normal, the Library space will once again be a cherished and celebrated community destination.
 
In the meantime, we  look forward to sharing the creative ways the Library will use these new funds to further enhance their support of the community during these times. Stay safe, and stay tuned!