30Y.30L Tour (#5): Sleeper Public Library

Image by Andy Thompson

On Tuesday, November 22, I headed north to the Village of Ubly and toured Sleeper Public Library. Staff members Barbara and Joan showed me around and I learned about the wonderful library services offered by Sleeper Public Library.

Location
Sleeper Public Library is located in the downtown section of the Village of Ubly which is located in Huron County, Michigan. The best way to describe Huron County: a peninsula of a peninsula -- as it is surrounded by water on three sides. From southeastern lower Michigan, the State highway known as M-19 would be the most direct route to Ubly.

From Kresge-Purdy Library which houses the School of Library and Information Science on Wayne State University's campus in downtown Detroit, Sleeper Public Library is about 110 miles northeast or roughly 2.5 hours.

History
The library is housed in a historic building, constructed in 1907, which is known as the Citizens Bank Block. Text from the historical marker states:

Built in 1907 by local contractor David Pierce, the Citizens Bank Block also houses a harness shop and a library. Albert Sleeper (1862 - 1934), who served in the Michigan State Senate and as governor, co-founded the bank with his uncle A.W. Merrell, taking sole ownership in 1900. Sleeper owned several other banks and extensive real estate. Sleeper and his wife, Mary Moore, set up a library in the space above the bank in 1908.

Here is an excerpt from the Bad Axe Tribune (1908) -- from SPL's website:

What will no doubt be the largest and best public library in the Thumb outside of Lexington will be opened Saturday, May 30th, in the handsome rooms over the new Sleeper Bank. The library of nearly 2,000 well-selected and well-bound volumes, of the best literature and reference works of all ages, is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Sleeper, together with the rooms and furnishings.

Sleeper Public Library was endowed by Albert E. Sleeper and Mrs. Sleeper nine years before he became Governor of Michigan. The gift of a Library was offered to the Village of Ubly at the May 4, 1908 meeting of the village council with no less than 1500 volumes, space over The Bank rent-free, completely equipped with heat and lights furnished.

If you recall, the first library in which I visited for the 30Y.30L Campaign: Moore Public Library in Lexington, Michigan. There is a direct connection between the two libraries. From MPL's website (and taken from an earlier blog post):

The Charles H. Moore Library of Lexington was opened in the present building January 17, 1903. Mrs. Mary Moore Sleeper, married to Albert E. Sleeper, governor of Michigan (1917-1920), along with her sisters Ella and Emma, deeded the property and building to the Village for library purposes only. They named it in honor of their father. The building had been constructed in 1859 by John Devine for his law office and was remodeled for a library during the early part of the 1900’s. The library was launched with 1300 books from Oscoda, donated by J. L. Wood, an uncle of the Moore sisters.

In the historical sense, Sleeper Public Library (Ubly) and Moore Public Library (Lexington) are sister libraries.

Service Area, Size, and Operating Budget
Sleeper Public Library serves the Village of Ubly, Bingham Township, Sheridan Township, and Paris Township. Because of the geographic location of SPL, bordering Sanilac County, its service area extends into parts of Austin, Greenleaf, and Minden Townships. The total service area captures about 3,486 citizens giving the library a Class I size due to population.

According to the Library of Michigan, a Class I library:

• Serves a population of 3,999 or less and needs to
• Open a minimum of 15 hours per week.
• Employ (at least 15 hours per week) a director with at least a Level 4 certificate.

Prior to the library in Bad Axe becoming a district library, Sleeper Public Library served a larger region. As a result of the change of status, SPL was degraded from a Class II -- which serves 4,000 - 6,999. The library surpasses the minimum required hours open as they operate 45 hours a week.

With two staff members, the Library Director and Assistant Director, Sleeper Public Library has an operating budget that ranges between $72,000 - $75,000. From covering the desk, shelving books, collection development activities to answering reference questions and cataloging books, the two staff members Barbara and Joan do it all. Call them super librarians!

Director Barbara Butch seated at the very same
desk in which several of her predecessors
have used over the years. How's that for
library history?!

About the Director
As a child, Barbara Butch would frequent the library and relative to her pint-size, she was amazed by the scale of the library's collection. To her, the library was an escape from the boredom of summer. Her love of books segued into helping the librarian as child. Prior to becoming director in 2003, Barbara worked for 15 years at Sleeper Public Library.

Her favorite part of the job: the people. (I'm not the least bit surprised.) Due to the rural nature of the library, throughout my visit I witnessed a level of personal service to the library's patrons. Due to her philosophy, the library is not the stuffy "shush" zone commonly portrayed by stereotypes, but rather an open and warm place for the community to relax, unwind, and learn.

Advice to those entering the profession:
Connect with kids when they are young -- encourage their love for reading and the library. If not, you'll lose them in their middle years when they get busy.

Intellectual Freedom
Last year, when I was required to visit several libraries for LIS 6010 with Dr. Maria Gonzalez, I began asking librarians how the Harry Potter series was received in the community. The series has experienced controversy over the years and has landed itself on the frequently challenged materials list compiled by the American Library Association. Overall, the Harry Potter series received a warm reception in the Ubly community.

Relevant and of note, Barbara mentioned that at first children were slightly intimidated by the book's size as they had never read a book that thick before. After tackling the books, their self-confidence increased and seemed to be less intimidated by the thicker books. Hooray for J.K. Rowling!

Unique Observations

Booker joined Barbara and I at reading table while
we discussed Sleeper Public Library.

About two months ago, Barbara found a male kitten outside of the library. From his appearance, he looked to be malnourished and covered in an oily substance. After receiving veterinary care and permission from the library's president, Booker joined the library staff as an official volunteer.

A notice to patrons has been placed on the library's door and if anyone is allergic, Booker hangs out in the workroom where he has a comfortable bed, a plethora of toys, and plenty of food and water -- otherwise, he is out an about greeting patrons, watching the fish in the tank, and frolicking through the library with one of his toy mice.

For those in the LIS field, Booker's food and care do not come out of the library's operating budget. Barbara and Joan have set up a donation box and anything beyond what is collected is covered by them.

Since the library is housed within an old bank, the reference collection is shelved in the vault. Of course, the door has been removed. 

Also unique, Sleeper Public Library is connected to the Senior Center which features a comfortable lounge area, lovely kitchen, and a large meeting room.