Change is becoming one of the constants for today’s libraries

The last of the new libraries that will be part of the legacy of Carlton A. Sears, director of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, could well be a metaphor reflecting the changing vision for libraries he brought to the Mahoning Valley during his 15 years here.

Sears announced recently that he will retire effective March 30, 2012. Ground is scheduled to be broken earlier that month for the new Jackson-Milton public library branch, a 5,200-square-foot structure that will house 18,000 volumes of old-fashioned books along side computer terminals and the latest in software. The building will overlook a ravine and wetlands, providing a setting that will encourage the peacefulness long associated with libraries.

Inside, the library will have an open floor plan that will not only give patrons easy access to adult, juvenile and multimedia areas, but will also allow library staff to monitor what’s going on with minimal staffing and a minimum of stress for those on duty.

In short, it’s a building that combines everything a library historically has been with everything a 21st century library has to be. It will provide for the security and comfort of people of all ages using the library and for the library staff.

It’s envisioned as a pleasant and practical building — a place that will attract people seeking knowledge or quiet contemplation, and where they’ll be served by employees who want to be there.

Examples of all those elements can be found by the hundreds in looking over what Sears has done since joining the library system in February 1997. He already had almost a quarter century of experience working in libraries, but he also had an obvious eye for where his industry was headed. But whatever vision he had, he made it a point to reach out to the library community and the community at large before anything was set in stone.

Spanning the generations

Over the years he helped institute multi-generational literacy programs, from the “Baby Brilliant” program to teen services to financial and computer literacy for adults of all ages. Reflecting the economic realities of recent years, the library and librarians have worked to make it easier for people to seek jobs using the library computers.

Sears worked with library employees and their unions to reach contracts that were within the institution’s budget and he promoted library services so effectively that voters responded with approval of a 1.8-mill, five-year operating levy last year. Over the years he rose to the challenges presented by steadily decreasing state funding for local library services. Where once the state provided 80 percent of the cost of operation, local funds now cover 56 percent of the budget. Cafes and gift shops in some libraries not only add to the atmosphere, but they provide a new revenue stream.

Sears is moving on to a new endeavor, expanding work he has been doing with The Harwood Institute, which works to promote the idea that people can change their communities for the better. That’s something Sears has already demonstrated here.

As a sign of the respect he has for the institution he has served, Sears gave the library board eight months notice during which it can conduct a search for a replacement. Ideally, there will be enough time for the new librarian to receive his orientation and, if necessary, introduction to the community from a master of the craft — Carlton Sears.