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A Day in the Life of Five Librarians, Part 12
by
Posted On September 1, 2024
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Citizenship, Civic Engagement, and Democracy

Sonya DurneyVisit any small town in Maine, and what you’ll find at the center are beautiful libraries full of community and vibrance. And with those wonderful libraries comes wonderful librarians such as Sonya Durney, president of the Maine Library Association (MLA) and the scholarly communication research and teaching librarian at the University of New England.

WE MET WHEN WE BOTH WORKED AT THE PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY. YOU STARTED AS BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT REFERENCE LIBRARIAN AND ENDED UP AS DIRECTOR OF ADULT SERVICES. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM WORKING THERE?

First, I want to say how much I enjoyed working with you, Justin. It was so exciting to have my first big library job and to connect with all the awesome peeps there. To say I learned a great deal during my tenure there is an understatement. One of the most rewarding aspects was my focus on ensuring access to government information. As the Federal Depository Library Program coordinator, I saw firsthand how access to government documents is essential for transparency, accountability, and informed citizenship in a democracy. Access to information enables citizens to understand government actions, prevent corruption, ensure legal oversight, and participate effectively in civic activities. It also serves as a historical record and fosters public trust in government institutions.

I also found it extremely rewarding to work with New Mainers. It was so heartwarming to see folks earn their citizenship, learn English, get jobs, start businesses, and eventually bring their families to the U.S. My favorite moment—I will never forget—is reading the Pledge of Allegiance at a citizenship ceremony in front of hundreds of people who became U.S. citizens on that day. Wow.

WHAT KINDS OF SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE IN YOUR CURRENT JOB?

At the University of New England, I play a multifaceted role in supporting both students and faculty. As the library liaison to the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Business, I provide research support, library instruction, and subject expertise. I love working with our students—they give me hope for the future.

In addition, I serve as the library lead on open educational resource (OER) outreach, copyright issues, and publishing trends. It’s exciting to see the transformation OERs can make in learning communities, bringing greater equity to students and academic freedom to faculty. I also have the privilege of teaching a section of citizenship with the sociology department. This is a class all seniors must take to examine our role as citizens. We talk a lot about voting, volunteering, social justice, climate justice, and civic engagement—and of course, I bring up the role of libraries in communities whenever I can.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO DO AS THE PRESIDENT OF MLA?

I am really proud of MLA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee—they have been working tirelessly with librarians around the state providing support based on local needs. I want to encourage everyone who is reading this to sign up for Unite Against Book Bans (UABB). I am currently working with the ALA Policy Corps on the UABB campaign to advance the freedom to read and support libraries and library workers. We are focused on expanding our impact beyond the library community, utilizing specific messages and strategies to continue advocating for the freedom to read and supporting the Constitution. So please encourage everyone you know, including non-librarians, to sign up to keep in the loop on how we can all support the freedom to read.


Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Christa PorterI’ve always admired the librarians out there who are working for state libraries. Not only do these librarians have to keep up with all of the trends happening nationally, but they also have to have their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on in their home state. Zoom out a bit and think about that more, and what hits me is just how big most states are! I know that in my past as a librarian, I had a hard time thinking about all of the different neighborhoods in the cities that I served, so I have major respect for the state library folks. Christa Porter, the library development director at the Nebraska Library Commission, is performing that amazing juggling feat.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR ROLE AT THE NEBRASKA LIBRARY COMMISSION?

That would have to be our grant programs for library improvement, youth services, internships, and continuing education. Libraries everywhere struggle with small budgets or budget cuts. Our rural libraries sometimes have no extra budget at all. Being able to help libraries with additional funding is so rewarding. I always enjoy reading their final grant reports, hearing how we made a real difference in their communities.

WHAT IS THE MOST MAJOR SHIFT THAT YOU’VE SEEN IN LIBRARIES SINCE YOU STARTED THERE 20-PLUS YEARS AGO?

It may be cliche, but the maker movement. There have always been crafts in libraries, most often in teen and youth programming, but sometimes for adults as well. I think that base has helped libraries to fully embrace makerspaces. And these spaces can have the smallest items, like a button maker or laminator, all the way up to embroidery machines, 3D printers, and laser cutters. People who come to the library learn new skills, start businesses, and make gifts. By providing access to this equipment, libraries are solidifying their place as a community hub.

YOU LAUNCHED AND ARE THE HOST OF THE WEEKLY WEBINAR SERIES, NCOMPASS LIVE. HOW DID THE SERIES COME TO BE? WHAT CAN LIBRARIANS EXPECT FROM IT? WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS IN THE SERIES SO FAR?

Until 2009, my position at the Nebraska Library Commission was OCLC member services coordinator, and I did monthly webinars on OCLC topics. In 2009, due to changes at OCLC, Nebraska’s regional network was shut down. The webinars I had been doing were popular, so I thought to myself, “If I can do one webinar a month just on OCLC topics, I could do a weekly webinar on all sorts of library topics.” I pitched it to my agency director, who supported the idea, and NCompass Live was born!

NCompass Live is all about lifelong learning. It’s a platform for libraries to share what they are doing with their colleagues anywhere in the world. And it’s a way for library staff to add to their professional development repertoire, to keep learning new skills or about new programs and resources they might be able to use in their own libraries. After 15 years, I can’t pick specific favorite moments. But I think the show really works when the audience gets involved with asking questions and sharing their knowledge and experiences. I enjoy being able to facilitate that kind of interaction.


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Justin Hoenke is a library consultant who is interested in public libraries as community centers, supporting youth services staff to help them achieve their goals, and video game collection development. You can learn more about his work in libraries at justinthelibrarian.com. Hoenke previously worked in public libraries across the U.S. and New Zealand in leadership and youth services.

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