OKEECHOBEE — Local librarians Sonya Chapa and Kresta King recently shared some of the many ways libraries and librarians have changed over the years to meet the needs of the community.

Sonya Chapa said libraries have definitely changed a lot just since she started library school five or six years ago.

To become an official librarian, you have to get a master’s degree in library science. You can work in a library without that piece of paper, but if you want to get to a certain position — librarian, library director — you will need it. While Chapa was in school, there was a big push to remind students that libraries have changed from the way they used to be. “Libraries are now community centers. All of our services are community-driven. Everything we do is for the community, for the patrons. We are one of the last free resources we have. When you come in, we are not going to charge you for anything. We have mostly done away with our overdue fines,” she said. She went on to explain the only time they charge a fine is if an item comes back damaged. “We’ve actually gotten more books back, and people are really quick about returning them now. There’s just a good feeling there, goodwill.”

She said they have to overcome a stereotype about librarians. Most people realize libraries have changed but still think of librarians as these stern, bespectacled women wearing a hair bun and telling everyone to shush, very strict. “But,” she said, librarians have changed along with libraries.”

The Okeechobee County Library offers many community programs and free resources. They work with other departments to do summer programs, and everything they do is free. “It’s our rule. It has to be free. It has to be accessible to as many people as possible.”

Programming is very big in libraries now — providing free resources, whether they be educational or recreational for the community, especially in underserved areas. Recently, they have been giving out free, take-home craft kits for children. They have a YouTube channel now, and kids can follow along as the craft is explained. “Many libraries have advanced their digital presence since COVID-19, because people could not come indoors,” she said. The YouTube channel can be found at tinyurl.com/okelibrary. On there, you will find book reviews, craft tutorials and STEM/STEAM (science, technology, engineering and math/ science, technology, engineering, arts and math) tutorials.

Beginning in January, they will start a robotics team. Before COVID, they conducted art classes, concerts and chair yoga — all free to the community. Unfortunately, they had to stop those temporarily. They are trying to adapt until they can meet again safely. For Halloween, they did a curbside Trick or Treat event and also gave out holiday-themed craft kits.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to provide as many free resources as possible, whether it be books, DVDs, education, health resources, hot spots, what have you.”

She explained that change is not a new thing for librarians. “From the very beginning when they were taking books on horseback out to the mountain country, libraries have had to change.” At one point, bookmobiles were big, but then they gradually went away. Chapa thinks there is a need for them again, and her goal is to have one again someday, but right now, they are trying to make books accessible through the Little Libraries they have put up in several areas of the community. Right now, there are about 10, but they plan to have 30 eventually, hopefully by June 2021. Library Director Kresta King would also love to be able to have a drive-thru at the library.

The library offers digital books and magazines and is looking into the possibility of adding streaming services for videos. They want to be sure it is something the community would use, because if not, they would rather use the money for things they know the community needs. Axis 360, Overdrive and RB Digital are apps that provide the digital books. In addition, the library has access to borrow books from other libraries throughout the State of Florida, so if you can’t find what you need on their shelves, they can probably find it for you somewhere. The library serves as a meeting place for some local clubs, too, she said. The Crochet Guild has recently begun meeting again after stopping due to COVID. There used to be a coloring group, but it has changed to more of a craft group in general. The book club began meeting again in September. All groups are limited to 10 or less at this time. “That’s another change for libraries,” she said. “They are social centers now. Nobody walks around telling people to hush. Before, you’d go in the library to get a book, and then you were out, but now, it really is a social center, a place to get together with friends.”

Chapa and King met while Chapa was a student seeking her master’s degree. Chapa’s assignment was to interview a librarian. They met in the library about six years ago. At that time, Chapa wanted to be a museum librarian. King talked to her about it and explained that there were not a lot of jobs for museum librarians. Soon, Chapa became a volunteer at the library and later was hired for a part-time position. She then moved to full time and then to supervisor. After she got her master’s, she began attending library leadership classes and now is a full-fledged librarian.

King considers herself an old-school librarian, except she does not go around hushing people. She remembers the days of the Dewey Decimal System. “I failed that in school,” she laughed. “Thank God for computers, because I can find anything I want now.” She remembers back when books had cards inside them, and you wrote your name on that card to check the book out. The librarian would take the card for her records and place a different card in the book with a date stamped on it, so you would know when your book was due. In order to weed out their books, they would have to go to the book, open it and look at the card to see when it was last checked out. Now, they can easily check that on a computer.

Another difference she noted is that the first librarians had to be men. They were monks, and they transcribed the writing. “The first libraries were like treasure chests with the writings in there, and there were not multiple copies.” Even after libraries became secular, women were not allowed to be librarians. It was only when it became a lesser-paying job that women were allowed into the field. One of the most surprising things about librarians, she said, is that in order to be library director, you have to have a master’s degree accredited by the American Library Association. King has two master’s degrees. “I’m going to be one of the blue hairs with student loans,” she laughed.

King became a librarian by accident. Her first job after she graduated with her first master’s was with a lawyer. “I think I lasted a total of six weeks. I was his sixth assistant in like five months.” The day she resigned, she got a call for an interview to work in a library. She started as a circulation person making $15,500 a year. “Within a week, I had fallen head over heels. I didn’t want to be anything else. I wanted to be a librarian. I never looked back. I signed up within six months to begin the master’s program to be a librarian. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”

Kellie Bailey works as a technical specialist 2. She has worked in libraries now for 26 years. Her job consists of cataloging new books. She puts them into the computer and gets them ready to be checked out. “It’s basically like coding,” she explained. “You’ve got to make sure every period is in the right spot.” The books are usually ordered quarterly, and she picks through them to make sure she puts out the ones she thinks people might be waiting for first.”I try to be customer service-oriented.” She spends the rest of the quarter working her way through all the books, and then it’s time for a new batch to arrive.

The library has eight staff members: Joey Marcinek, Karen Brewer, Madison Schneider, Jessica Jones, Aracely Castaneda, Kellie Bailey, Sonya Chapa and Kresta King and two volunteers: Rosalie Stinson (book repairer) and Jonette Myers (adult craft clubs, adult coloring clubs & youth programming help).