30Y.30L Tour (#14): William H. Aitkin Memorial District Library

Image by Andy Thompson

On Thursday, December 8, I ventured to Croswell to meet with Director Jennifer Walters and tour the William H. Aitkin Memorial District Library.

Location
The City of Croswell is located in the southeast corner of Sanilac County which is situated in Michigan's Thumb. From my "home" library, in Sandusky, WHAMDL is about 20 miles southeast.

For those not familiar with the area, the Croswell Library is about 85 miles, or 2 hours, northeast of Purdy-Kresge Library, home of the School of Library and Information Science, on Wayne State University's downtown Detroit campus.

View of the front portion of the library

Service Area, Size, and Operating Budget 
The Croswell Library serves two municipalities: the Croswell-Lexington School District (better known locally as Cros-Lex) and the City of Croswell. The library's legal service area neighbors that of Moore Public Library which is just 5 miles away. According to Walters, there are 7410 people residing within the district which gives the library a Class 3 designation.

According to the Library of Michigan, a Class 3 - serves a population of 7,000 to 11,999 and needs to:

• Be open a minimum of 30 hours per week;
• Employ (at least 30 hours per week) a director with at least a Level 3 certificate.

The library's collection consists of 37,727 items, employs seven staff, and operates with a budget of about $230,000. Compared to 2010, the library's budget is down by $20,000. Annual circulation is about 35,500.

History
In several of my other posts, I have cited the various histories associated with each library. However, I was pleased to note that the William H. Aitkin Memorial District Library has a very detailed history noted on their website. However, I will note how the library obtained its name:

On Dec. 10, 1930, the library's name was changed to the William H. Aitkin Memorial Library. William H. Aitkin was a prominent member of the community who worked as a banker, lawyer, and State Senator. He died in 1927, and his wife, Hattie, and son, Melvin, presented the William H. Aitkin Memorial Fund to the City to build a library building, which was dedicated on March 23, 1931.

About the Director
Like Paula Gauthier, director of Brandon Township Library, Jennifer Walters also earned a Master in Information Science from the University of Michigan. She graduated in 1995 and has held her position as director of the Croswell library since 1996.

Her favorite part of the job: "Purchasing books and programming."
Least favorite part of the job: "Cataloging." I'd like to let the record reflect: I am finding this to be a relatively common sentiment amongst librarians.

Advice to those entering the profession: "Be prepared for anything! One second you might be working on the budget and the next plunging the toilet. You have to have a sense of humor in this job or you'll go insane. [On collection development] Know your patron population. Just because someone in New York City finds it good, doesn't mean someone in rural Croswell will like it."

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.

The Potter series incurred no problems in Croswell! In fact, it is safe to say (knock on wood), that WHAMDL has not had an official challenge since Walters became director in 1996; however, there was some controversy surrounding the Christian Fiction collection (via an anonymous complaint) which was immediately ironed out by placing spine labels and noting circulation statistics.

Observations

• The library has cameras placed throughout the building to help deter theft, vandalism, and juvenile delinquency. 
• A separate room houses the library's reference and genealogical materials.
• William H. Aitkin Memorial District Library recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. 
• The children's and young adult collections are housed in the library's basement. Colorful murals adorn the walls.
• A different quilt is on display each month at the library.
• The non-fiction endcaps feature subjects rather than Dewey numbers.
• Paperbacks are shelved with the fiction collection rather than separately. As a result, according to Walters, the circulation for PB items has increased.