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business, Harris County Public Library staff member, Sarah Gardner interviewing Mandy. Um I have been with Harris County public library for one year and I'm recording this interview on, I'm sorry january 20th at the Alden branch library and then I'm gonna introduce myself. Hello Perrigo, I former

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employee from here's county public library and I have not work there for the last 2.5 years and I'm recording this interview in Scottsdale Arizona at this gusto public library where I work now. It's awesome. Thank you so much for meeting with me today. Um So my

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first question is um do you mind telling us about where you grew up in? Houston, born there, raised their live there all the way until I moved your for this position? That's awesome. Um And uh what did you think you were going to be when you

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grew up, depends on at what age you're asking that question? I thought in college and we'll deal with that. And I was actually planning on a career that's going to be in social work. Um Actually went into social work um Found I hated the way social

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worked worked and discovered public libraries and found that there are different version of social work and more what I thought I wanted to do and it was love at first job, so I'm in the career. That's awesome. Um Do you mind uh if I ask what

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position you, you have a library where you will, the current position I have is the senior library manager over the public services and operations. So I'm over the branches and how they operate. That's cool. Um So do you have any memories of visiting a library as

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a child? Um The Northwest branch in Harris County was my childhood branch and I used to go there and just find a beanbag chair someplace and I'll sit on the floor in the stacks and read through all of their books because it wasn't allowed to actually

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check them out. I had too many fines. So and out of the library reading them there. So that's where I lived. Um So do you have like any specific memories that stand out besides that? Um No, it was mostly my sisters and I would spend our

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days just reading through all the Y. A. In that branch more than once because the Y. A. Collection wasn't huge there. Uh And remember the librarians were so very librarian, stereotypical older glasses. I mean this was nineties. So um it just, I will say that the

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first time I walked back into Northwest branch after working at the library because I left the library for a while like you know, teenagers do. And then you go to college and then you becoming an adult and you forget that the library exists. And then you

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find it one day actually we lived on the northeast side. So my very first branch, I started working out with Octavia fields. And I remember when I finally returned to Northwest during work one day and it's like it hits you nostalgia. It's like, and it was,

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that was a crazy feeling. That would be the most potent memory is walking back in and my childhood flooding back to me. I love that. Um did you was one of those that you had, the one that you can call the favorite. That's like asking me

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who my favorite child is. Um, I don't know if I could pick a favorite favorite as a teen, maybe a favorite series. I read all the babysitter club books. Um, and there was like 200 of them. I don't know, I couldn't, I didn't actually ever finish

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the series is too many as a child. Um, I think I'd have to go like a split if we're talking about the younger child has to be chris van Allsburg, That's Polar Express. Uh The sweetest big, it was this big, big book, the guy eating the

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thing on the cover, he had like these illustrations that made you like get lost in the store. Like it was my first experience of being transported by stories. So definitely crisp and Ellsberg. I used to cut this week last little and then louis sacher sideways stories

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from wayside kids. I mean it was all the rage. We all read it. So I loved those to those or calling them all the way through like there's a boy in the girls bathroom. Um, I stopped reading him and holes came out. It was too old.

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But he's and he also came to visit my elementary school which makes you have this extra level? Yeah. This extra level of like celebrity like awestruck. So that's another reason why I think he pulls forward when I think about books he used to read. Yeah, I

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think those author visits can really make a big difference in getting kids interested in reading and like you know, submitting like a love books. Yeah. Um so we're going to switch to some more, some library kind of related questions and some of these may be a

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little redundant but how did you become involved? A public library? Um I was a social worker working for CPS doing child abuse investigations, felt like a hamster wheel like nothing I did was making a difference. Um so I decided I'm gonna become a stay at home

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mom. I have three kids by then. Um and I found that that's not me either. I am not the stay at home mom type. So I started working at Octavia fields um part time as a, just a part time position and that's where I was reintroduced

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to libraries. I mean I grew up in them and I only knew them in one way working in one you realize all the things that they actually do and I was like, no, this is where I was meant to be. And so uh started there and

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never left start another career. So that's how I ended up working at libraries, Harris County specifically. Yeah. How long did you work for ages and pl A little over 10 years. Um can you tell tell us about something? Will you tell us a favorite thing about

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the library? I think again. Favorite thing. She was between Children. Okay. So yeah. What I love about public libraries is that it is something to everyone. I've learned that over the years that everyone who walks in the door, it needs something different from a public library.

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And we happen to be the place where You can have 10 people in a library and they're all having a very different experience with that library. And that sounds weird. It's our job to just create that experience. They walk in. They need this, we make it

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possible. So if that's not like the magician, I don't know, I mean, I don't know what's better than that, then I don't know of another place where you can do that. You can't walk into a shoe store and decide that I want to be. You know,

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a zookeeper. Like that's not a good match. But you look into library, we could set something up. You can learn how to do it can be your space. If you need to study. If you need to look for a job, you need to connect with other

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moms and a storytime program. If you need just a quiet place to shout out your thoughts and look out the window if you need whatever you need, if you need um to connect some stories and lay on the floor. If you adolescence, there's there's there's a

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spot for you and that doesn't exist in other spaces. So I think that's what I love about the library, definitely. Um can you tell me library patron that you'll always remember? So there are a few, but I think the one that will stick with me forever.

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Her name is Evelyn. It's when um, she was a patient of the very first branch of manages the Stratford branch library. Um we were firing of computer classes there. It's a huge senior citizen population and her family bought our laptop because her daughter moved overseas and

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she wants to talk to her and her granddaughter was overseas and I want to talk to her and um she would just come in every day for the class, every time I have the classroom goes, I just feel so stupid. I don't know if this is

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for me, worked on here is the on button here is the mouse, here's we, we did everything. Um and by the time it's enough to communicate. She um she would come in every week and she would tell me everything that's going on and show me like

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she would pull it up and show me everything. And so um and did that until I left Stratford. So she would just look what she's doing now. I know she sent this and this and she was just mhm. I mean it's not like it seems small.

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I would think for other things that you learned but it wasn't small. It was huge from where she what she thought of herself and what she became. Um And also just if you knew Evelyn, she sticks with you. I love that. Um What was the library

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like when you first started working there? Um It was mm Yeah. It's hard to say Because I mean I've been in the field for about 12 years. So You know, some of these questions are for people who've been there for like 30 years. Amazing. Um it

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does it looks kind of the same. In fact, if I go to the old bracelets actually look very much the same. But there's some differences I do know. Um while working there I've seen the I've seen the technology revolutionized and I've seen the way we approach

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service revolutionized and don't even mean the last year. Covid that's a whole another we'll never go back. So yeah. Change. But maybe I've just changed with it. So it doesn't feel like it's changed. Uh huh. Yeah. I think the next question is when was the last

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time your library had like an old fashioned card catalog, which I think you were saying you probably never I'm not there yet. I was like eight. And my school library had card catalogs. I have uh I mean they went away but I started working at the

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library. Yeah, I remember that too when I was in elementary school but it's been a while we do have a card catalogue here um as a decorative relic for those who want to touch it. And remember. Yeah, I like it. I need to go. Um So

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what do you think libraries will be like in 10 to 20 years different? Um I think um you know one thing I have seen has changed is that we stop clinging. It's the ninth person of the interview. Auto. Other lights. I didn't mean you have to

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have an office where it doesn't matter how much you wait. It's like no. Um So you just see me dancing. I'm just lazy. Get up and go to online anyway. I think in 10-20 years you're going to see a lot more digital consumption. Um and you're

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going to see libraries that are not inside libraries because it's been trending that way. You know, in trending, it's just a necessity that it moves away from that. I will say when they first ever from the library, it's all about how do we get people to

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come into the library come into the library? That's not the conversation we're having. Yeah. About how people walk through our threshold. It's how do we reach people, how to reach people. And so uh in 20 years it's hard. Um Society's changed culture has changed to places.

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I can't even fathom all I know is that the library staff that we work with. Um Especially you know those who have been here and those coming in our way. They're very, what is the word I want to use? They're very malleable and they are they

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are completely fine and actually love changing to figure out what is next and what do people need next? And how do people need to consume the library? Let's do that. Um And when you have that kind of mentality, well, we'll see in 20 years what how

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everyone is, everyone lives and how they need the library because I'm sure we'll match it definitely. Um So if you could give any advice to future library staff, what would it be that answer? Um Roll with it. That's all you can do. Covid titles. Nothing. Just

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roll with it. Yeah, it'll be fine. It's just um I think this advice is always who are we here for? And what do they need? And if you keep that at the center of what you do, you'll be fine. Um Do you have anything else you

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would like to mention before? We close out? I don't think so. You had big questions so much. Plus I only want to be like five minutes ago so I have not had time. What's that? That's all I got. No you did great, thank you so much

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for talking with me today. Um Alright, it was nice meeting you and say hi to. I don't know who also works at Alden, but Uh huh. That's high. If anyone has recognition in their eyes, that's who I meant to say hi to. Okay, will do. All

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right.