Public Library: Roanoke City Public Library

Rubin & Rubin note that some public libraries like to have mission statements that “include the desire to advance knowledge, strengthen communities, enrich lives, or serve diverse segments within communities” (Rubin and Rubin, 2021, p. 81) and this is true to the Roanoke City Public Libraries mission statement to “enhance the quality of life and promote the well being of the community by creating a climate of lifelong learning and community enrichment. Engage. Educate. Empower. The possibilities are endless.” (City of Roanoke, 2022).

By visiting the branches within the Roanoke City Public library system and spending a little bit of time in each it is easy to see that the branches serve specific diverse people within the City of Roanoke Communities.

For the purpose of this assignment, I’ve chosen to focus on the Main Library location of the City Public Library system.

Digital Access

https://www.roanokeva.gov/892/Libraries

I would say that the website is easy to navigate for the most part. I know from work for the library system that our website is simply a page of the government website as a whole and there’s not a lot of room for creativity. But as I went through these questions I tried to flip my point of view and look at it from an outsider’s perspective.

At first glance, the home page has a list of links that are useful, including a link to the catalog which comes up on a separate page (https://rnpl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default) as well as links to storytimes and programs and for some virtual library resources. 

After clicking on various links you could assume that this library serves a multitude of people. From the programs link you’ll find that the library offers programs coming up for kids and adults, there is a link for resources for small businesses as well as for nonprofits, and a link for the Law Library and for the Virginia Room, which is where the genealogy and local history collections are housed. There are also links to the Overdrive and Libby accounts for Ebooks and audiobooks. There is also a link for Star City Reads which is Roanoke’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Initiative, a program that is known nationwide because in 2014 the program was recognized as a “Pacesetter for making measurable progress on student readiness outcomes” (Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, 2022). 

No staff is listed on the website. There is contact information including the address, phone number, fax number, and hours for the downtown Main Library. There are also links for the Facebook page, Instagram account, and Flickr photos. I only know because I am an employee but you can search jobs, available ones, and general job classifications if you follow the link that says “Jobs” in the top right corner of the page. 

For accessibility, I’m not sure the page has a translator option. The libraries page does offer a link to the Talking Book Service which offers digital book cartridges through the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled division. The page covers resources, how patrons may access this feature, services you can register for (such as BARD), as well as contact information for the service. At the bottom of the page for the city there is a link for Accessibility with contact information and guidelines that the city works with when designing the webpage. 

I have looked at other library pages and don’t personally think ours is very inviting, and it’s not creative at all, but I’m a little biased and think we could do better. I also know that we work as a branch of the city government and it seems they like for resources to be of similar design across the board but that is purely speculation on my part! 

The Space and Physical Access

The Main Library of the Roanoke City Public Library system is located downtown Roanoke on Jefferson St. in Elmwood Park, a well-known and beautiful park in the Roanoke Area.

From the outside the building is moderately large, I would say. The building definitely reminds me of a small school building, with a construction feel from the 1950s-1960s. On the outside immediate parking is a bit limited, if you want to park for free, that is. There is limited street parking available in two-hour increments wrapping around part of the park, including right in front of the library and there is also parking designated for handicapped vehicles. There isn’t any outdoor seating right in front of the library but down the sidewalk there are a few benches. There is a public bus station drop-off within the block as well as bike racks right outside of the library building. There is an outdoor bookdrop on the corner of the main sidewalk by the street and the sidewalk leading up to the building. The doors are automatic and slide in and out to allow easy access into the building. 

There is a very cozy-looking reading porch located just to the left when you walk into the building which is shaded nicely by a historic Roanoke Elm tree.

(The main entrance of the Roanoke Public Libraries Main Library location)

(Yoon, E., 2014)

Upon entering the space it feels a little smaller than it does from the outside. I personally think the space could do with a little update to open up the space a little more, specifically to the right in this image (and I do know from working in the system renovations are on the board, they just don’t have a date or all the funds yet). On the first level there is the teen and kids area which does house a meeting space, much like an open classroom, the main desk, and the DVD and audio collection back to the right. There is a staircase and an elevator which leads to the second level which houses the adult computer area, three small meeting rooms, the adult fiction and non-fiction collection, a bar for charging things and using personal laptops, reading nooks, and the Virginia Room and the Law Libray. Two additional meeting rooms are located downstairs from the first entry-level. 

The space does feel welcoming with the main desk with two levels, one lower and accessible for patrons who may have special needs as well as for different age groups. The shelves in the youth area are not as tall as the ones in the adult area and the youth area even features a slide!

Services and Intellectual Access

Special services outside of the marked youth area are not visible, not that I could see. There is a copy machine on the first and on the second floor, as well as computers. There is a screen where you can access the catalog to search for materials and it was at a level that is accessible to patrons who may have a need. There is nothing clearly marking where to go for the talking book service, but there is occasionally a librarian at the front desk who specializes in that collection. 

From walking through the collections both upstairs and downstairs you can discern that the Dewey Decimal system is utilized for the nonfiction section and the fiction section is alphabetized by the author with a few genres on their own, such as romance, inspirational, science fiction, African American, and mystery. 

I believe that everyone is welcomed here, there are spaces that are accessible by patrons who may need assistance, and when there’s not clearly space there are staff members who can help. There are also a number of homeless people who spend their days inside the library, especially days that are very cold or very hot, or rainy, it depends on the weather. As long as behavior is not disruptive or inappropriate, everyone is welcome inside the library.

People: Patrons and Staff

This library serves the public and that includes people who are homeless, the elderly, families with young children, young adults.. The library also sees non-English speakers on a daily basis as Roanoke is home to many people from different backgrounds and countries. In the facility it is not uncommon to see someone who is homeless or hear conversations between people who speak different languages. 

People in the space are interacting with staff by asking questions about their library accounts or about a book they’re looking for. There is a person on the second floor at the circulation desk asking a staff member for a guest pass for one of the computers because they do not have a library card and another person recently got help from a staff member with sending a fax through the Xerox machine. As you walk through the building you may notice 6 or so staff, two at the front desk, one upstairs at the circulation desk, one in youth services, and two more floating around either shelving materials or assisting a patron with a need. If you stick around long enough you may see the library security officer on the second floor at the circulation desk or in their office near the elevator. 

There are patrons of varying diversity around the library, varying ages, varying abilities, varying backgrounds and races, varying housing situations. The staff is made up of people of varying genders and races but is predominantly White. This may not be common knowledge but due to the population of homeless people within downtown Roanoke sometimes families with young children, or someone who isn’t familiar with the challenges that homeless people face, may be uncomfortable in the library if they travel outside of the youth section, and perhaps some homeless people may be uncomfortable in the library if they are around people they may think are judging them for the situation that they are in. 

Collections

I’ve mentioned it throughout but there are print and digital resources evident in the library including one self-checkout machine by the entrance. The holds ready for pickup are located just to the left of the entrance along with the new book collection. There are two computers located on the first floor for quick computer access and on the second floor there are more computers for extended use. While there are computers and wifi for public use the city libraries do not circulate laptops or internet hotspots.

I know there are Virginia State Park backpacks that circulate for use, available in the youth services area, but that may not be public knowledge, there’s no signage for that. On the second floor there is access to the Virginia Room which is the genealogy department, housing local and state history information. That room is the only part of the library that feels academic, the rest of the space feels like a public library in that it is a space that welcomes everyone and accommodates people completing an assortment of tasks. 

I feel like the Virginia Room may feel like it has an intellectual barrier, it may seem like a room one could only access if you have specific needs for research but that’s not the case, anyone can utilize the space and access the collection. There is a physical barrier for people in the collection, the shelves are four to five shelves high and some patrons may need assistance reaching a specific material. There is only one copy machine available on the second floor of the library and that is also the only fax machine in the building that is accessible to the public, getting to the second floor may be a barrier for some but the staff is happy to accommodate. 

Other

I guess a major way that the mission of this library is apparent is that it is open and serves the public. One does not need a library card to access the computers or access the materials inside of the library, you do need a library card to check out materials and take them with you, but due to the transient nature of life for some library users the Roanoke City Public Library does offer residents of the Mission and group homes in the area temporary cards that are good three months at a time, with proof of temporary residence. 

I think upon my first visit I was surprised by the size of the youth area of the library, it does take up half of the space, but at the same time, the youth services department does a lot in the Roanoke City area, bringing free books, programs, and materials to children, even free daily meals provided by Feeding Southwest Virginia. Overall parts of the library space do feel a bit dated, especially the second floor, so I do hope renovations will help to open up the space in the future and make it feel more modern. I suppose that ties into something I want to know more about, I would like to know what plans are to open the space and make it feel less cramped in part of the building. 

References

Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. (2022). Roanoke, Va. http://gradelevelreading.net/roanoke-va 

City of Roanoke. (2022). Libraries. https://www.roanokeva.gov/892/Libraries 

Chittum, M. (2014, Oct 13). Roanoke’s renovated downtown library to reopen tuesday. The Roanoke Times. https://roanoke.com/news/local/roanokes-renovated-downtown-library-to-reopen-tuesday/article_7950e0c0-d44f-5f99-b881-10c21142e655.html#tncms-source=login

Google. (n.d.) [Google Maps directions for the location of the Roanoke Public Library]. https://goo.gl/maps/FUcx9KMGGm5XoHem9 

Rubin, R. E. and Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.

Yancey, D. (2021) [Photograph of Elmwood Trees in Elmwood Park]. The Roanoke Times. https://roanoke.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-lessons-from-downtown-roanokes-elm-trees/article_77cff532-90cc-11eb-9173-e7396cee864f.html 

Yoon, E. (2014). [Photographs of the Roanoke Main Library]. The Roanoke Times. https://roanoke.com/news/local/roanokes-renovated-downtown-library-to-reopen-tuesday/article_7950e0c0-d44f-5f99-b881-10c21142e655.html#tncms-source=login