30Y.30L Tour (#11): Eastpointe Memorial Library

On Monday, December 5, I took a road trip down to Eastpointe, also known as East Detroit, and met with Sue Todd, Assistant Director of Eastpointe Memorial Library. I've been asked, "Why Eastpointe?" Well, the answer is simple. Sue Todd is adjunct faculty at Wayne State University and my instructor for LIS 6510 (Children's Literature: Infant - 3rd Grade). I have thoroughly enjoyed her class and wanted to get a chance to chat with her about the LIS field and thank her for a wonderful semester.

Location
I had to laugh when thinking about how to write this section. If you have been following the 30Y.30L posts, you'll notice that I cite mileage and general direction from Purdy-Kresge Library in Detroit. Well...this library is just a hop, skip, and a jump from campus.

Eastpointe Memorial Library is just 10 miles northeast of Purdy-Kresge Library, home of the School of Library and Information Science, on Wayne State University's downtown Detroit campus. For those living in the Thumb area, EML is 75 miles southwest of Sandusky District Library.

Service Area, Size, and Operating Budget 
Eastpointe Memorial Library serves primarily the City of Eastpointe, but also the surrounding areas which include Harper Woods, Roseville, and Saint Clair Shores. I was astounded by the population numbers: Eastpointe (32,422), Harper Woods (14,236), Roseville (47,299), and Saint Clair Shores (59,715) -- giving the library's service population a total of: 153,672. Because the library's primary service area is Eastpointe and the population is less than 49,999,the agency falls under a Class 5 designation.

According to the Library of Michigan, a Class 5 library serves a population of 26,000 to 49,999 and needs to:

• Be open a minimum of 50 hours per week.
• Employ (at least 35 hours per week) a director with a Level 1 certificate. The director will complete the New Director’s workshop within one year of becoming a director and complete the Advanced Director’s workshop within two years of becoming a director.

You may have noticed that the libraries visited thus far have been a Class 1 - 3 agency which requires the director to have a minimal of Level 3 - 4 certification (depending on the class size); however, when a library is designated as a Class 4 or Class 5 agency, the director is required to have a higher certification. Here is the low-down on library staff certification from the Library of Michigan:

Level 1 certification requires:
(a) A master’s degree or its equivalent from a library school accredited by the American Library Association, and
(b) Four years of full-time library employment, or its equivalent, after receiving an MLS.

Level 2 certification requires:
(a) A master’s degree or its equivalent from a library school accredited by the American Library Association.

Level 3 certification requires:
(a) A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, and
(b) Completion of the Beginning Workshop offered by the Library of Michigan.

Level 4 certification requires:
(a) A high school diploma or equivalent, and
(b) One year of full-time library employment after receiving high school diploma or equivalent, and
(c) Completion of the Beginning Workshop offered by the Library of Michigan.

Eastpointe Memorial Library has an operating budget of $708,000. Comparing the budget to just two years ago, EML experienced -33% change!

Other relevant data:
Number of items in collection: 69,320; annual circulation: 158,038.

About the Assistant Director
Sue, an alumna of the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University, began her career in the LIS field 27 years ago when she first started at Eastpointe Library while working on her MLIS. However, certainly worth noting, she was a library aide during her middle school years and worked, while in undergrad, cataloging dissertations for Michigan State University's library.

According to the library's website, her first professional position was that of Adult Services Librarian. The year 2004 was a big one for Sue! It's when she first started teaching for the SLIS program at WSU and she became the Youth Services Librarian. Almost 5 years later, in spring of 2009, Sue became the Assistant Director of Eastpointe Memorial Library.

Favorite Part of the Job:
"Talking to the patrons. We have a good collection and good people on staff -- it's what keeps them coming back. The two go hand-in-hand: without the collection, we won't exist; without the people, we won't exist." Sue also enjoys when patrons who used the library as children come back with children of their own.

Advice to those entering the profession:
Sue offered tons of advice throughout the interview! "Every job can apply to the LIS field...Know your patron base...If you see a patron coming out of the stacks empty-handed, ask them if they need help finding something...Make yourself available and approachable...You need to adapt to different personalities...Be open-minded. Be flexible. Jobs will be available. You need to make yourself relevant."

Notes and Observations

• Due to budget cuts, the library no longer has pages on staff. Everyone pitches in and shelves these days.
• EML has a parent-teacher collection in the youth department.
• The library has a wonderful courtyard/patio that is used for story time and the summer reading program.
• Youth services typically has the most sections to navigate. 
• Sue finds the collection shelved under J398.2 the most difficult to weed. 
• EML is participating in the Geek the Library campaign.
• The library belongs to the Suburban Library Cooperative.
• By the time I left the library, it was 6:30p and dark! I couldn't take any exterior photos. (I didn't get home until 8:30p.)
• EML is one of the few libraries in the Metro-Detroit area that has a Christmas tree on display during the holiday season.