Susan Herring is a Peoria native with 25 years of experience in the Peoria Public Library. She began her career at the library as a reference librarian in 1972 and worked into the position of head of outreach services and then assistant director. In 1993, Herring was appointed director of the Peoria Public Library. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Illinois University, and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois. Herring holds active memberships in the Public Library Association and Rotary and serves as a member of the Alliance Library System Advisory Council, Illinois Library Association Board, WTVP/Channel 47 Board, and the United Way Fund Distribution Panel. She is married to Bill Herring and has two children, two step-children, and two grandchildren.
You received your master’s degree in library and information sciences from the University of Illinois. What pointed you in that direction? How long had you wanted a career in library work?
I first worked in a library during high school as a volunteer. My mother taught me to love books and reading, so it was just natural for me to be drawn to the library at school. When I entered college and needed a job, I once again turned to the library. I already knew the basics of shelving books, and I had some experience helping students use the card catalog to select reading material or research items. I worked at Western Illinois University’s library during my four years of college, working in the Acquisitions and Reference departments.
My undergraduate degree is in business administration, and I intended to work in the business world. After returning to Peoria, I applied at several businesses. I went through some interviews, but wasn’t offered an interesting position. I decided to return to the field where I had experience. I applied for a reference position at the Peoria Public Library (PPL) and was hired.
I have spent my entire professional career at PPL. The longer I worked in the Reference Department, the more I realized that I needed a master’s degree in library and information science to advance my career. I began taking courses from the University of Illinois while I continued working full time. I was divorced with two small children, so I took one or two courses at a time. It was a struggle to get my master’s degree, but I had the support of my employer and my family.
Who or what were the strongest influences during your childhood in Peoria?
My parents. My father instilled a strong work ethic in me. He worked very hard to support us, and I knew that he always expected me to do my best. Dad controlled the family funds and money was tight, so I learned early to spend my money carefully.
My mother taught me to love reading. Mom and I made weekly visits to the West Bluff branch of the Peoria Public Library. We both spent many hours reading. I still remember her reading to me every night. She sat in a chair next to my bed and read a chapter or two from what I considered to be a “big” book. The book I remember most is Heidi.
What were some of your favorite books as a child? As a teenager? Now?
My favorite books as a child were Madeline and McKlosky’s Make Way for the Ducklings. As a young reader, I read any mystery that I could find, especially the Nancy Drew books. During my teen years, I loved Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Little Men, Station Wagon in Spain by Mary Stewart and romance by Victoria Holt and Emilie Loring. Right now my favorite author is Patricia Cornwell.
Did you consider positions with libraries in other cities after you completed your studies? What was it about the Peoria Public Library that attracted you to seek a library position there?
I worked at the Peoria Public Library for many years before I completed my degree in library and information science. The Peoria Public Library assists employees to further their education, and I worked hours which allowed me the time to travel to school in Champaign.
I also received partial tuition reimbursement by agreeing to stay at Peoria Public for at least two years after completing my degree. I knew the degree would allow me the opportunity to apply to move into a management position when one opened.
You began your career as a reference librarian. What are some of the more unusual requests for information a reference librarian receives?
Librarians are asked all kinds of interesting and sometimes amusing questions. Once a woman called who was holding a spider and trying to describe it in detail. She wanted to know if it was poisonous or not.
We supply information about entertainers, movies, and television shows. Quotation questions come in daily. We are asked to help price art, antiques and collectibles, and during the tax season we are busy checking stock prices. Sometimes children find a snake and they nee to know what they should feed it and how they should take care of it. We have even been asked who wrote The Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
What personal qualities should a librarian possess to be successful?
Librarians need to be problem solvers. They need to have good people skills and be able to conduct a good reference interview. Many times, they need to draw people out in order to get to their “real” question. Good librarians have a real desire to help people, they are curious, they have a good memory, and they have a good knowledge of their community.
You were head of Outreach Services for ten years. Explain the responsibilities of that position and give some examples of what you accomplished.
As head of outreach, I was in charge of the Lincoln branch, South Side branch and many of the special services offered by the Peoria Public Library.
Programs under the Outreach Department include the following: Taft Homes and Warner Homes study centers, the Bookmobile, Talking Books for the Blind, deposit collections spread out in various locations throughout the city (such as nursing homes and retirement homes), and Homebound Services.
The responsibilities of my outreach position included the supervision of thirteen employees, managing and spending the book budgets for each division of the department, making deliveries to the buildings with deposit collections, recruiting resident volunteers to monitor the collections at each location, working with the bookmobile driver to plan appropriate stops for residents who live long distances from library facilities, helping the blind register for the Federal Talking Books Program, and accepting public speaking engagements in order to explain the special library services offered by Peoria Public Library.
The most rewarding department achievement made during my years in outreach was the growth in the use of the library at Taft Homes.
We have a very strong program at Taft, including good children’s and adult programming. Participation from Taft residents continues to grow. The residents are taking advantage of the opportunities for education and fun at the Library Study Center.
I was also able to increase the number of deposit collections to include the most retirement homes and nursing homes within the city of Peoria Boundaries.
What changes have taken place in the internal workings of the Peoria Public Library over the past 26 years?
The way the Peoria Public Library conducts its business has changed dramatically over the past 28 years. The library changed from being a business where all transactions were handled manually, to a computer-reliant business.
When I started working here, every process was done by hand. Each book and magazine had a card and pocket in it.Our customer library card numbers were transferred to the cards by a charge machine and each card was filed in a large set of files by the date due and then by the call number within each due date.
Interlibrary loan requests were sent via a van delivery service provided by the Illinois Valley Library System. The public used card catalogs to search for books. Periodical articles were found by searching a paper copy of the Reader’s Guide.
About 1975, Peoria Public Library added cassettes to our collection of materials available for circulation, and the Illinois Valley Library System used a grant to supply Peoria Public Library with our first fax machine.This piece of equipment changed the way interlibrary loan requests were handled in libraries. It made communication about information requests much quicker.
In the early 1980s, we added videos to our collection. The library began to put our holdings into a computer database around 1983, and shortly after that we began to circulate our materials through a computer system.In 1986 librarians here began searching online databases to answer tough reference questions.Music CDs first arrived at this library in 1987.
In 1991 the administrative office received its first computer that was used for bookkeeping purposes.By 1996 the public could use a computer to locate materials owned by this library and other libraries in a consortium of libraries known as the Resource Sharing Alliance. We also added CD ROMs that could be checked out.
The library added one Internet computer for the public to use at the end of 1996, and I have seen tremendous interest in the Internet from the public. At the beginning of 1997 we closed our card catalogs making the computer the only way to find new items.Online computer services will continue to grow during this time labeled as the “Information Age.”
You’ve been director of the library since 1993. What are you responsibilities in that capacity? Tell us about some of the changes you have initiated since becoming director.
I serve as the chief administrative officer of the Peoria Public Library. My job includes the duties listed below:
- Formulate goals and objectives for the library in conjunction with the library board of trustees and the library staff.
- Plan for effective library services in relation to the changing needs of the city and its residents.
- Formulate and recommend policies to the library board, and implement the policies as approved by the board.
- Direct the maintenance of buildings, grounds, vehicles and other library properties.
- Review and approve or develop specifications and analyze bids for purchase of equipment or building repair.
- Work with the assistant director to conduct a continuous program of staff evaluation and staff training.
- Provide professional information to the library board and library patrons, acting as a public spokesperson to provide information on policies, procedures and special services offered by the library.
- Establish and maintain working relationship with governmental agencies, civic and community group and the general public.
- Direct and encourage library participation in national, regional and statewide programs of interlibrary cooperation.
- Promote library service to the community through regular involvement in community activities on behalf of the library.
- Coordinate with the staff to develop and manage an annual budget and regularly report to the library board the financial status of the library.
- Work with the library board during labor contract negotiations to come to a fair agreement with our employee union; and work with the assistant director to handle grievance matters and contract administration.
The first major project I undertook was remodeling the Lincoln Branch, made possible through a gift from Henry Slane. This beautiful branch is a Carnegie Library. H.M. Pindell, grandfather of Henry Slane, was able to arrange for a permanent branch library to be built with the funds from Andrew Carnegie. The branch first opened in 1911.
The renovation work enabled us to open up the lower level for public use and allowed us to install a life that makes the building accessible.
In 1994, the Peoria Public Library was awarded a Library Services and Construction Grant that enabled us to make the McClure Branch accessible.
I have been instrumental in creating a technological environment here at the library. I have worked with employees to design a wide area network with a fiber backbone that joins the branches and all departments to the main library servers.
Historical pictures and unique pieces of Peoria’s history are being transferred to CD ROM discs. The Illinois State Library provides Illinois Libraries free access to an online service called First Search, and we subscribe to other databases as well. Internet service for the public will be available at all of our locations sometime this fall.
I feel that it is very important for the library to continue to provide the technology needed to offer all Peorians an opportunity to access computer information sources, as well as traditional books and periodicals.
What particular challenges have you faced because you are a woman in this position?
The library field is dominated by women. It seems natural to me that women are being chosen to lead public libraries. I have not encountered discrimination based on my sex in the workplace.
I have a home and a family and sometimes it is a challenge to get everything accomplished at work and keep my family responsibilities covered. I have two children, two step-children and two grandchildren. My family is very important to me, and I try to spend as much time with them as possible. I am also responsible for overseeing the care of my mother is in a local nursing home. This is a common problem for working women.
How have the reading habits of Peorians changed during your career? What have been some of the trends?
Book discussion groups are becoming popular. The Peoria Public Library works with three different groups: “Club Read” for those who want to discuss a series of related books; “A Little Romance” for readers who love to read or write romances; and “Book Em” for mystery lovers.
Reading habits reflect some trends in society. Inspirational fiction is popular right now. People seem to be looking for spiritual renewal. The Chicken Soup books and Thomas Moore’s Care of the Soul are in demand.
Genealogy research is a popular hobby. The Peoria Public Library has a fine collection of genealogy materials. We are experiencing a tremendous growth in the number of people using this material.
We have seen a growth in home schooling. We work daily with parents who are teaching their children at home, purchasing materials that will help them educate their children.
The business department is inundated with requests for materials on computers, software and investing. We have a number of local investment group members using our materials to research companies and plan investment strategies.
Gardening and landscaping enthusiasts are interested in planning beautiful home gardens. The interest in shade gardening is rising. We are purchasing many popular books for both the sophisticated and novice gardener.
The reference department is seeing a renewed interest in poetry. They also see continued interest in travel material, true crime books, mysteries, romances and best sellers.
The paperback book remains popular and we have seen tremendous growth in the use of books in large print and books on tape.
Are people in general reading more or less than they were a decade ago? If so, what do you think attributed to this?
I believe that people are reading more today than they were a decade ago, as education and literacy are once again important topics. People realize that it is important to read. Parents are encouraging their children to read, and families are visiting the library and reading together. Parents know that it is important that their children see them reading and that they read to their children. Young people who read and enjoy reading are more successful in school that those who have trouble reading.
Television has created some interest in reading. Each time a talk show host holds up a book and interviews an author, we receive calls requesting the title featured.
Oprah Winfrey’s book discussions have created a tremendous demand for the titles selected. People who never used libraries before are listening to Oprah and coming to the library to reserve the books she recommends.
Oprah and the American Library Association are working with the publishers of the books she selects to distribute free copies to the libraries to help keep up with the demand created by her discussions. Peoria Public Library has received up to twelve hardback copies of a book being discussed by Oprah.
Name two or three books that over the years have remained extremely popular with the general public.
Agatha Christie mysteries, such as Murder on the Orient Express, Salinger’s Franny and Zooey, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, and Louis Lamour’s books remain popular with the general public.
How are the Peoria Public Library and its branches connected with other libraries in the area such as the Peoria Heights library? Also, explain the system that allows a Peoria library cardholder to get a book from any library in Illinois if the book is not available here.
The Peoria Public Library is a member of the Alliance Library System. The Alliance Library System is committed to fostering and coordinating cooperative projects and activities among libraries. The system promotes and facilitates resource sharing, and assists libraries in the delivery of quality library service.
The Alliance Library System is a multi-type library consortium made up of eighteen academic, 115 public, 129 school districts and 33 special/corporate libraries. The system covers a 14,000 square mile region serving a population of 928,000.
The Alliance member libraries have reciprocal agreements in place, which allow public library cardholders to use their library cards in other member public libraries.
This cooperation allows a Peoria library customer to stop at the Peoria Heights library and check out materials, and Peoria Heights library customers come to Peoria Public Library to check out items.
If a Peoria Public Library customer wants a book that we do not own, we check our online database to see if another Resource Sharing Alliance library has the book.
If we cannot locate the item within the alliance, we check the holdings of other Illinois libraries, and finally, we search networked libraries across the whole country.
When we locate the needed item, we can request the owning library interlibrary loan it to our customer. The material is delivered to our library through a delivery network, facilitated by the Alliance Library System and the Illinois State Library. Occasionally we request and receive items from a foreign country. This is a very valuable service that we offer to library cardholders.
How many employees are in the Peoria library system? How many of those are administrative and how many are in other capacities?
The Peoria Public Library employs 110 people. Eighteen people are in administrative and supervisory positions. In addition to the administrative staff, we have seven librarians, 30 reference assistants, 37 library assistants, five custodians and eighteen student pages.
How many cardholders do you have? What areas do you serve? Can people from outside the city obtain a Peoria Public Library card?
The Peoria Public Library has about 33,000 active library cardholders who live in the city of Peoria. Residents of other public libraries in this area may use their home library card in our libraries.
The people who live in areas that do not tax for library service may purchase a local-use-only library card from the Peoria Public Library for a fee of $72 per year. This local-use-only card may not be used at any other library and does not include interlibrary loan privileges.
How is the library funded? How involved are you personally in the finances of the library? Are overdue and lost books much of a funding source?
The largest portion of Peoria Public Library’s revenue comes from local property taxes. Our budget for 1998 is $3,800,000. The Library collects about $75,000 in overdue fines, lost books and other fees.
This year we have been fortunate to be awarded about $220,000 in grant funds and $206,000 for capital improvement program projects through the city of Peoria capital program.
I work with the staff and finance committee of the library board of trustees to develop the library budget. I am very conscious of the need to keep our budget growth as low as possible without cutting needed services.
Once the budget is approved by the library board, I present the budget to the city of Peoria finance director and the city manager and finally to the city council. The council approves the amount that is levied for the library.
What is the size of your volunteer force? What are some of their projects? What is the biggest fund-raiser?
The library has a large number of dedicated volunteers. Most of our volunteers are members of The Friends of the Peoria Public Library. Volunteers and the Friends teach Internet classes and also work with nonprofit organizations in creating and maintaining a web page.
Volunteers help man the genealogy area, assisting the public with the complicated materials used to research family histories. Volunteers help us with our author and children’s programs, and they convert old library books onto our computer system.
The Friends manage our book sale room at the main library and the small book sale areas at the branches. They also sort, price and move all the books involved in our semiannual book sales each year.
The book sales bring in the most money for the Friends of the Library. The Friends use their money to support author programs, the summer reading program, and to purchase materials and equipment needed for the library.
When authors appear at your Writers Live programs, are they appearing gratis? Does the library get a percentage of each book sold at these programs? Does the percentage vary, depending on the author or publisher?
The library is fortunate to be able to secure visits by many authors each year. Some of the authors who speak at our Writers Live programs are on national tours, some are visiting relatives in the area, and others live here.
Most authors speaking here appear without charging a fee. They are supportive of libraries because we purchase their books and provide them a forum to build a following.
Some authors charge a fee for appearing. Any fees paid for author appearances are paid by the Friends of the Library. The authors on national tours are paid to appear by their publisher.
The Friends help sell the author’s books at author appearances. Sometimes authors bring their own books and at other times the Friends arrange for a local bookstore to supply the books that are sold. The percentage made from the book sales by the Friends varies from program to program.
You recently received a large gift from Microsoft’s Bill Gates. How did this happen, what does it include, and what is the status?
Peoria Public Library was invited to submit a grant proposal for public access computers by the Bill and Melinda Gates Library Foundation. The American Library Association helped the Gates Library Foundation set up the criteria that was used to select eligible libraries.
In Illinois, five libraries were asked to submit grant proposals and two were awarded grants.
The Gates Library Foundation grant for $52,000 will provide the library with 20 public access computers, a server, some network wiring, training for two staff members and a wonderful selection of software.
We are in the process of setting up the computers and testing them. The network server will be put in place soon. The public should be able to use these new computers by the end of fall.
What are some of your favorite activities when you’re not involved in work?
When I am not involved in work, I participate in professional organizations and volunteering the community. I am a member of the American Library Association and the Illinois Library Association where I am serving my second year as treasurer.
I am a member of the WTVP board and serve as its treasurer. I volunteer at the United Way serving on the Fund Distribution Committee. I am also a member of the Rotary Club of Peoria.
My husband and I love to play golf. We spend a lot of weekend days playing golf courses in the area with friends.
We also spend time with our family whenever possible. I love to work in my garden where I grow flowers, herbs, and vegetables. I also spend some time everyday reading for enjoyment. TPW