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his library career as a trainee at the Brooklyn Public Library while in Library School. And from 2011-2016 he served as the director of the Tulsa City-County Library. While he enjoyed getting to know the kind people of Oklahoma, he reports, he is very happy to be home!
Gary is the author or co-editor of three books: Emotional Intelligence & Critical Thinking for Library Leaders, Creating the Sustainable Public Library, and The Sustainable Library’s Cookbook. The latter was co-edited with Ray Pun. He received his Ph.D. in Managerial Leadership in the Informational Professions from Simmons University in Boston and his MLIS from the Pratt Institute in New York. Gary also holds masters’ in professional writing and intellectual property law. He was twice-elected to the PLA board and also served on ALA Council. He was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker while still in library school. Prior to working in libraries, Gary worked in advertising. Candidate Statement
I believe California libraries are stronger when they act together, thus I believe in associations like CLA. I interviewed for my first professional job as a librarian at the annual CLA Conference. I then worked in California libraries for five years before accepting a position as a library director in the Midwest. Upon my return, working for an academic library, one of my first stops was a Southern California CLA social in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, where I met or reconnected with many Southern California librarian friends. I have been an ALA Councilor, PLA and SCLC board members, and an author/co-editor of three LIS management books, a book chapter, and academic articles. I have also advocated for copyright reform for libraries and archives at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Today I serve as director of the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department, as adjunct faculty for USC-Marshall’s ALA-accredited Master of Management in LIS program, and as a Califa board member. My career has always been more rewarding when I have been of service, thus why I have submitted my name as candidate for CLA Treasurer. I would be honored to serve you in this capacity, should you select me.
Questionaire
1. How do you define leadership?I define leadership as the ability to motivate a team to be their best individual selves, to work collaboratively for the greater good of the library and community. The leader should serve the team members, via servant leadership, in such a way as to remove all obstacles so the team can achieve its shared goals.
2. Why are you interested in this position?
One of my areas of scholarship is sustainability. While environmental sustainability is important, if an organization is not financially sustainable, it simply cannot survive. I have raised a great deal of money for my library systems through grants and private foundation gifts. I am fiscally conservative yet innovative when it comes to budgets. I believe at the present time that I can be of the best value to CLA in this role.
3. How would you describe your personal leadership/communication style?
When it comes to leadership, I view myself first as a coach; someone who does not ask someone to do something I myself would not do; someone who pitches in when specific help is needed, no matter the task; I also believe, when appropriate, in getting out of the way, to allow others to excel. When it comes to communication I believe in soliciting other team members’ opinions before providing my own. I believe in sharing the why when making an ask of someone, I believe in transparency whenever possible (e.g. some personnel matters must be kept confidential), and I also believe in communicating with my colleagues often. I send out bi-weekly, sometimes weekly updates to my colleagues and I meet one-to-one with all permanent colleagues, full and part-time.
4. What strengths would you bring to the position?
Solid budget management, strong fundraising and grant writing skills, partnership-building and negotiating expertise, strong vendor relations, and an innovative spirit (all detailed below in #5).
5. What experience do you bring to this position?
I have worked in libraries for 16 years. Even as a trainee and entry-level librarian I was working on strategic initiatives to aid my libraries. Working with colleagues, I developed a long-standing partnership described below at one library and reconfigured literacy services to better serve our constituents and volunteers at the other. Based on prior experience, running multi-million dollar accounts at advertising agencies, I was given an opportunity to step into an executive team position at a 28-branch library system shortly after my first year anniversary as a librarian. My team and I reimagined how a library could market itself to its community. Within five years of graduating from library school, I assumed the library director role at a 25-branch library system, which I held for six years. There, I was able to work with my team to reinvent library service for the 21st Century. We were awarded many local, state, and national awards and honors for this effort. After that, I ran a successful (new) master’s program at a top 25 business school/R-1 institution, doubling enrollment. Because that program was “born” in that university’s library, I was housed in the library, served as assistant dean of the library, and regularly collaborated with my academic librarian colleagues.
My experience includes: solid vendor relations, I consider vendors to be our partners and recently brought two together to improve each others’ products for their mutual (and library) benefit; fundraising, I have raised over $35 million for libraries; grant-writing, I have secured over $750,000 in grants for libraries and universities I have worked with or for; solid budget management, I have always ended the fiscal year in the black and have successfully managed to trim budgets when directed but still provided greater service to the community through efficiencies; and partnership creation, while still in library school I was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for a partnership between the Brooklyn Public Library and 826NYC-Writing and Tutoring Center, on which I collaborated, on behalf of my library. Still going 15 years later, the partnership has aided over 7,500 students and counting. I continue to create new partnerships in libraries. Other experience includes: negotiation skills, while heading a previous library, I negotiated a no-cost gift of 7.5 acres of land from a charitable hospital foundation, the land was adjacent to a too-compacted library that did not have enough room to expand; innovation, I convinced library vendor Mango Languages to partner with the Cherokee Nation to put the first North American indigenous language on their app nationwide at no cost to my library or the Nation. When a tornado struck and destroyed two elementary schools in Moore, OK in 2013, I led fundraising efforts to raise money to stock the school libraries with books. For the effort I recruited four nationally-recognized cartoonists (led by Diary of Wimpy Kid Author Jeff Kinney) to appear at two Oklahoma-based fundraising events. Recently, I proposed a 10-month-long beta-test of cooperative online programming series on an important issue (covered in #6 below) amongst the 39 member libraries of the Southern California Library Cooperative. I am pleased to report that the membership enthusiastically and unanimously agreed to participate in the initiative.
6. What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?
At present much of my time is spent on Antiracism initiatives, which are greatly informing my work. Other than the current pandemic and forest fires likely brought about by climate change, the biggest threat our state is facing is systemic racism. Thankfully there is a long-overdue focus currently being placed on it. Because of this my library recently hosted a panel on racism past and present, and it will soon embark on a 10-month series titles Be the Change: Inclusion – Diversity – Equity – Antiracism. The series is being convened to help build a collective understanding of systemic racism, elevate the voices and stories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and inspire our community members to be the change. My library applied to our City’s Arts and Culture Commission to fund the series and our request was granted. Because this issue is bigger than our City, it was presented to SCLC, and as related in # 5 above, the SCLC membership agreed to participate and promote the series. We also reached out to a local newspaper group, which publishes in six SCLC communities. The newspaper group has agreed to promote the series via editorial and advertising space.
This issue is of particular importance to my community as the City of Glendale suffers from an inclusionary past. Beyond the work mentioned above, two of my colleagues and I have been poring through the historical record located in online newspaper archives, microfilm, library clipping files, and City Clerk records. Together, we have uncovered much damning evidence and have been able to confirm that the City, based on its customs and practices, was a sundown town. Now the real work begins. In addition to presenting the series with its various programs aligning with specific heritage months, we begin guiding our City through the work of acknowledging, apologizing, and atoning for our past. I am pleased to report that because of our efforts and those of other city staff this evening (Sept. 15, 2020) our City Council will be presented with a Sundown Town proclamation, apologizing for the City’s contribution to a racist past, for their adoption.
7. Who are the thought leaders (in libraries or in other fields) who interest you?
Some of the best and brightest thought leaders in libraries include, Ginnie Cooper, Linda Crowe, Carmen Hernandez, Luis Herrera, Susan Hildreth, Gary Strong, and Joan Frye Williams; though retired all have ties to California and all are my mentors. This said some of the best and brightest are still working in and out of our state. I have learned a great deal from my neighbors to the east and west Library Directors Elizabeth Goldman and Michelle Perera. Other thought leaders I learn from include: Mario Ascencio, Jill Bourne, Cindy Chadwick, Carol Frost, Peter Hepburn, Paymaneh Maghsoudi, Sandy Hirsch, Misty Jones, Michael Lambert, Safiya Noble, Skye Patrick, Ray Pun, Mark Stover, John Szabo, Patty Wong, and too many more to name. Non-California library thought leaders I admire include: Kim Fender, Maryanne Hodel (both retired), Maria Carpenter, Carla Hayden, Rhea Lawson, Steve Potter, Tim Rogers, Ramiro Salazar, Manya Shorr, and more. Vendor thought leaders who I learn from include Brian Downing at Library Ideas, Beth Jefferson formally of Bibliocommons, Gianni Lecciso of Brainfuse, Jeff Levinsky of Wowbrary, Paul Quelch at Communico, and Sandy Swanson at OrangeBoy. Leaders in other fields, those I follow include: Chris Anderson, Malcolm Gladwell, Jaron Lanier, Daniel Pink, and Isabel Wilkerson.
8. Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders libraries need to be in communication with?
Statewide, I feel libraries need to be in better communication with the State Librarian, the State Department of Education (which has allowed school libraries to be decimated), the media, and Hollywood. In my humble opinion libraries simply have not adequately told their story.
9. What do you feel are the most critical challenges and opportunities facing California libraries right now?
My answer to # 8 above, is in my opinion the most critical challenge facing libraries today. I believe public and academic libraries run the risk of ending up like school libraries, under-staffed and under-funded, with fewer and fewer MLIS-degreed librarians, if any, working in them. My local school district has no MLIS-degreed librarians working for it, not even one at an administrative level. This is a travesty. A long-time, retired school librarian/academic friend of mine, is distraught with the fact that our shared local school district does not take advantage of all the resources available. I believe this is because they are simply not aware of them.
I am disheartened by the thought that public libraries could easily be overrun by non-librarian administrators utilizing clerks to proffer service. I know of two libraries in my County that this has happened to or is happening to. While they may still have entry-level librarians working in them, these individuals will likely be replaced by non-librarians when these individuals move on or retire. Such libraries do not engage in local cooperatives, state associations, conferences, or with the ALA. Another threat we face: Fewer people are using public libraries today than in years past. This is masked by increased circulation, from those that do use libraries. There is a growing perception that libraries are no longer necessary. That they have been supplanted by Amazon. Public libraries should not be discontinued because of a misperception. In terms of academic libraries, their spaces are often threatened, with campus administrators ogling their spaces and imagining “better” uses. You can practically hear them saying, various learning commons could be placed on campuses, with the Internet and Google Scholar replacing the librarians.
This said, the Coronavirus onset can also make our future tenuous. Critics may query, “We’ve lasted so long without libraries, do we still need them?” Six-nine months, or even a year is not “so long,” but then again one can be undone by perception.
On the hand, I get excited when I ponder the critical opportunities. They include 1) shared marketing. All our libraries are unique, but they are more similar than different. We have an opportunity to market our vision regionally and statewide. 2) Many library customers have embraced online programming. Once we reopen this will be difficult to offer, alongside in-person programming, especially with our budgets reduced. I feel there is opportunity to offer shared virtual programming. 3) I also imagine one day there existing a Hollywood Library Office, using the EveryLibrary funding model. This office would raise their own funding broadly and would pitch realistic library story ideas to Hollywood and even become a minor producer on important films and TV shows to ensure our story is told accurately versus via anachronistic visions of libraries and librarians. They would also negotiate free books based on coming-soon films for libraries to circulate if they wish to. This last proposal would serve to make the library appear relevant to the public, would demonstrate our power to drive ticket sales/viewership, and remind Hollywood’s consumers that good stories start with good books which can be found at your local library.
10. Describe your experience serving on Association committees and/or interest groups.
- I served as a Member of the California Library Association Leadership Advisory Committee. We planned state-wide leadership training.
- I participated in the CLA Day in the District and Day at the Capitol to lobby senators, assembly members, and their staff regarding the value of libraries and our thoughts on pending legislation. I served in a similar capacity to the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) during my six years in Oklahoma.
- I served on the conference committee for OLA when they held their conference in Tulsa.
- I served as an SCLC Board member until recently. During my tenure we had to recruit and interview candidates to replace the retiring executive director and work to update all documents to assist with the passing of the baton (e.g. pension, healthcare, signatories, etc.).
- I served on the ALA Development Task Force. We created ALA’s fundraising strategic plan.
- I served as an IFLA Delegate to the UNs’ World Intellectual Property Organization. I, and several librarians and archivists, advocated for copyright reform to the Body and explained to individuals and small groups the need for copyright exceptions for libraries and archives to several international delegates.
- I chaired the Tulsa City-County Library Public Art Committee. We worked to acquire hundreds of thousands of dollars of art for our renovated Central Library. This required shrewd negotiating, deference to my volunteer committee, and good public relations.
- I served as an ALA Counselor at Large. This required the ability to reach consensus amongst 100+ fellow councilors.
- I served as a member of the ALA Public Awareness Committee. This required the ability to work with a small group of librarians from all disciplines to come together around shared initiatives. Planned programs, recruited speakers with minimal budget.
- I served as a member of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), Audience & Participation Group/Workstream. Together this group worked to help outline the needs of future users of this yet-to-be-launched national web resource.
- I served as a Site Location Leader and director of a founding library for the ULC and PLA EDGE IT Initiative. Before EDGE had a name, I along with seven other library leaders worked with ULC, PLA, and International City & County Management Association (ICMA) staff to help design and test what would become the EDGE technology advocacy evaluation tool.
- I served as a member of the PLA US Capitol-Library Advocacy Day Task Force. Together we planned the national Day at the Capitol visit and during the actual meeting I met, alone and sometimes in small groups, with legislative staff to advocate for and answer questions on proposed legislation.
- I served as a member of the PLA @ Your Library (Advocacy) Task Force. Together the task force members and I launched the Smartest Card in Your Wallet Public Library advocacy campaign.
11. Describe your network of connections with library professionals and library stakeholders in California.
Having worked in both Northern and Southern California in academia and public libraries I feel I have a very large network of California librarians on whom I feel I can call upon. Through work on the PLA Board, ULC, and SCLC I believe I know most if not all California public library directors. I also know many academic library deans and associate university librarians. While running the USC MMLIS program I was active in statewide ACRL and SLA meetings and conferences. I have also spoken at regional conferences (e.g. Internet Librarian, LJ Director’s Summit in Sacramento) which allowed me to interact with many attendees, with whom I have stayed in touch. I maintain good relations with our State Librarian.
6. What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?
7. Who are the thought leaders (in libraries or in other fields) who interest you?
8. Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders libraries need to be in communication with?
9. What do you feel are the most critical challenges and opportunities facing California libraries right now?
10. Describe your experience serving on Association committees and/or interest groups.
11. Describe your network of connections with library professionals and library stakeholders in California.
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