When Fairbanks Branch Library Assistant Branch Manager Melinda Brinkle  says “everybody wants everyone else to succeed” in Harris County she refers both to 1) everybody within the Harris County Library System and 2) everybody within Harris County itself.

Melinda used the following example to illustrate how this process works: She engages regularly with other librarians throughout her system in an online group chat: “we post information that anyone on the channel can look at.” Melinda said that a large discussion had been on StoryWalk initiatives.

At the same time, Melinda also engages regularly with her partners. One of her partners – from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Baby Brain Development – recently sent Melinda information about free demonstration classes they were offering. Melinda said she “felt really comfortable promoting it in” her online community of librarians “because it’s free, and it’s a really great program to help parents understand the importance of working with their child and the impacts of that long term.”

Melinda said she has no trouble sharing resources both internally and externally because “it’s all informal, and everybody’s nice. Everybody wants everyone else to succeed.”

This case study explores how the library system based in America’s third most populous county created pathways for this resource sharing, as well as how those pathways have led to everything from fruit forests to skateboarding classes.

Given the size and complexity of this library system, this case study is organized around a few individuals who have made a big difference in this community.

This case study is part of HEAL (Healthy Eating and Active Living) at the Library, funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services (# RE-246336-OLS-20)

Learn more about heal at the library >

Key lessons from this case study:

• Focus on empowering library staff at all levels to engage in designing and delivering new services, often within community partners.
• Library staff are key ‘engineers’ in discovering, recommending, testing, and implementing service innovations throughout the library system.
• Shift from ‘coping with change’ to ‘leveraging change opportunities’ as they emerge

Harris County Libraries is a 29-branch system that encompasses Houston; it is one of the largest urban counties in the U.S. The library also includes a full-time Programs, Partnerships, and Outreach (PPO) Division that staffs outreach vehicles throughout the county. In 2001 the library leadership what they called HCPL 2.0, focused on empowering library staff at all levels to engage in designing and delivering new services, often with community partners. Catherine S. Park, library director from 19779-2006, wrote that “Many of our staff, leaders in whatever positions they occupy, are taking ownership for … becoming the key ‘engineers’ in discovering, recommending, testing and implementing service innovations throughout the library system. They are beginning to move from ‘coping with change’ to ‘leveraging change opportunities.”

That tradition of supporting leadership at all levels continues under the leadership of Edward Melton. Celeste Plew has worked in libraries since high school, not stopping to get a college degree. Melton encouraged Plew to continue her education, and with the library’s encouragement she not only earned her bachelor’s degree, but her Master’s in Library & Information Science as well.
“He’s been probably the sole reason why I have been encouraged to finish my bachelor’s degree and then go on to library school,” said Celeste Plew.
Even with hundreds of staff members, Melton always takes the time to encourage her and everyone else who works for the library. This personal touch is a key part of this library’s process of encouraging growth, innovation, and relationships.

Melinda added that that same model of leadership is “the model of the leadership within each branch.”

But the support goes beyond kind words. Outreach Coordinator, Bryan Kratish, helped develop a mentorship program, allowing staff to build skills and grow as individuals.

Support is also provided for creating positive interactions among teams. Staff are enabled to share ideas across branches in regularly scheduled meetings and using their online intranet platform with different groups for each service area, such as youth programming. Staff share information “anytime someone comes across something that’s good, that they think other people could benefit from,” said Melinda and Suellen.

Staff are even supported in reaching beyond the library to find additional expertise in the community. Linda Stevens and her Programs, Partnerships, and Outreach (PPO) division take team building to the next level by connecting local branch staff with community partners, like a match-maker.

“I am glad right now, one of the things that we’ve had the it’s our directors finally agreed to strategic planning. And he likes the freedom that comes with not having things pinned down. But I think once we can identify these things as part of a system plan, then we can say, Make a plan, you need to individually make a plan to uphold this area, as your staff change. So even if their interests change a bit, what will fill this gap?” Linda Stevens

JOINING COALITIONS

• “So what has really helped me is that they have, they are leaders of a coalition, in our area called *Healthy Living matters. And the goal of that coalition is to reduce childhood obesity. So all of the people that they bring together from that, not only can I connect with all of these great resources in the health department, but I’m connecting with the *food bank, and I’m connecting with *the schools and, and all of these people in the room that are really supporting a lot of the same goals. So that has been a big a big, big us. I mean, and that’s where we started the Summer Meals is from working on that coalition.” Linda Stevens

PROMOTING EQUITY

• “You have libraries, like the one I’m in that has a huge friends group with a huge bank account. Yeah. And then you have places that are lucky if they have one friend. Yeah. And so I really help out where the places who do not have that friends group, because the equity would be ridiculous if we didn’t step in and take care of it.” Linda Stevens

PROMOTING AUTONOMY WITHIN THE LIBRARY 

The support seen throughout the library system is paired with freedom for each branch and individual staff member to seek out ways to contribute that are meaningful to them.

On the branch level this means learning the needs of that local community and finding ways to meet them. “As library professionals as public servants, it is often our duty and our responsibility to find what the community needs, and meet that,” said Celeste Plew, noting the lack of programs in area schools devoted to emotional well being after traumatic events like hurricanes.

For individuals freedom means being allowed, and even encouraged, to follow personal passions in developing resources and programming that can be shared with both colleagues and community members. “Like with a lot of really wonderful programming, it comes from the passion of one person at a location and they make it happen,” said Linda Stevens, regarding yoga programs.

BE RESOURCEFUL AND PROACTIVE

Serving the community is not just about programs and partnerships, but about being resourceful. Resourcefulness begins internally, understanding what skills, passions, and connections you bring to the table. Also knowing where you are lacking allows you to seek the appropriate partners to achieve success. “I knew that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do by myself. So working with them was very helpful. Because they helped me. They make me look good. And I helped make them look good. Hopefully.” Josh Rodrigue

Coworkers are excellent resources to turn to for support. Fellow library staff can share their skills, knowledge, and community connections. “Linda Stevens actually, she’s mostly our port, the point person for all the branches when it comes to outreach and partnerships. They’re mostly county organizations, she’s been a system for many years, and they know to go to her.” Melinda and Suellen