Middle Country Public Library:
A Model for the Future

COVER PHOTO CREDIT Miranda Gatewood

 

While “quiet” is still in vogue at the Middle Country Public Library (MCPL), patrons there share the excitement generated by the library’s novel and creative happenings. MCPL’s trailblazing Library Director, Sandra Feinberg, and her staff have changed the image of the institution, turning an ordinary public library into a thriving “community” center.

The largest and busiest public library on Long Island, MCPL has established itself as a national model with a reputation for developing innovative programs and services, including “Family Place,” a national initiative that began at MCPL, where parents and children have fun while building a foundation for literacy; “Drop-in” nights where teens enjoy activities like poetry, music, art, and drama improv, and the “Calling All Boomers and Seniors: Make Your Second 50 Years” Your Best 50 Years seminar series. The Library has developed and strengthened connections locally and regionally through collaborative partnerships with businesses, health and human service providers, the Middle Country School District and Chamber of Commerce, and philanthropists and foundations. Even the award-winning design of its Centereach facility—featured on the cover of Library Journal’s “The Year in Architecture” issue (December 2004) and the cover of New York Library Association’s 2007 annual calendar—symbolizes MCPL’s vision and energy.

Sailing into its second half-century
Now in its 52nd year, MCPL has seen many changes, but a 12-foot-long seating unit designed like a “boat” in the Children’s Room has weathered all storms. Over the years, the boat has been modified for safety reasons, as children couldn’t resist climbing, jumping and crawling on the cabin, steps and prow. But during a building expansion, when the boat was slated to be retired, the library met with resistance.
“Generations of patrons have sat in that boat and read books when they were little,” notes Assistant Director Barbara Jordan, and many come back to fondly recall those memories. Children come dressed up and play “pretend.” Today, bedecked with painted scenes and real boat cushions, the boat remains a popular feature. Even the library administrators (Networking® magazine’s cover this month shot,) couldn’t pass up a little fun in the boat.

When Feinberg took the library’s helm in 1991, she realized that all of the top positions in the library were held by women. Feinberg believes passionately in the capacity of public libraries to be central in the lives of their communities, and together with the “Women of Middle Country Public Library,” they have created a successful and flexible library model that is unique in every aspect.

“When you see the detail in the place, you know it has to be a woman’s touch,” Suzy Sonenberg, executive director of the Long Island Community Foundation, once remarked. “It’s got lots of special parts about it,” adds Feinberg. “There are corners, engaging places; the programs themselves are in detail, even the building.” Of her dynamic team, Feinberg says, “You’re seeing multi-taskers in action.”

First Family Place Library
A native of Saginaw, MI, Feinberg received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Michigan. She moved to Long Island and in 1971 was hired as MCPL’s first children’s librarian. With her skills and personal “drives,” she found that she “couldn’t tolerate” the Children’s Librarians Association of Suffolk County meetings and the endless discussion of picture books. Always thinking “out of the box,” Feinberg was already putting comic books in the library. “I didn’t care what kids were reading; I just wanted them to use the library and read. I wanted kids on the fringe to think of the library as a place.” She began to question her career choice. Then, with the birth of her first child, she saw that there was little community support available for new parents, and returned to the library with a new focus.

“It was a life change for me,” says Feinberg. “I realized there was a whole other track to children’s services, that is, working with parents and adults. I knew we had missed a whole population in the Children’s Room.” While at first her colleagues couldn’t believe she was bringing toys to the library, now she was bringing in social and health service professionals to interact with families.

“People at the time were afraid to open the library door,” says Feinberg. “I was never afraid of that. I’m energized by other people.” Feinberg drew on her own needs, skills and determination to design a Parent/Child Workshop, and scrounged up 25 new parents willing to participate. By word of mouth, she had 40 people on a waiting list by the next day.

In the mid-1990s, the Americans for Libraries Council was searching public libraries nationwide for a high quality, replicable early childhood and parenting program, and found it in Feinberg’s workshop, which eventually formed the nucleus of Family Place Libraries™, a national ALC initiative.

The first Family Place Libraries Training Institute was offered at MCPL in 1999. Since then, nearly 500 librarians from 25 states have been trained and joined a national network of nearly 250 Family Place Libraries across the United States. MCPL’s Hagedorn Family Place at Centereach and Rauch Family Place at Selden feature interactive Family Place areas with activities that promote play and early learning, and support parents’ needs for information.

Feinberg believes the Family Place Libraries work best when applied in a regional context with librarians participating in a peer-to-peer leadership network. Long Island’s 44 Family Place Libraries now enhance services, opportunities and outreach through partnerships with the National Association of Mothers’ Centers and the Parent Child Home Program.

Developing regional partners
As a result of connecting with social workers and other professionals for the Parent/Child Workshop, MCPL set up a “paper” directory of services, and in the late 80s, computerized the data. Today, the library’s Community Resource Database contains over 12,000 community services in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and is the most comprehensive source of information about health and human services for Long Islanders. In partnership with United Way of Long Island, MCPL’s CRD will serve as the “regional” cornerstone for the anticipated 211 Call Center, a national health and human services initiative.

The Miller Business Center began in much the same way—as a partnership with HIA. The Center occupies 5,000 square feet on the mezzanine level of the Centereach branch and includes business, finance, law and career information collections; a reading area; public access computers; a meeting room; several small conference rooms; and shared office space utilized by, among others, the Stony Brook Small Business Development Center, the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce, the Middle Country Coalition for Smart Growth and Literacy Suffolk, Inc. The Miller Center annually hosts Women’s EXPO, a tradeshow showcasing women entrepreneurs in all types of businesses and their products. The Miller Center was named by Long Island philanthropist John Miller who was attracted to support what was the library’s fledgling business upstart, the Business Resource Center. The success of the Miller Center, www.millerbusinesscenter.org, establishes a model for the role of the public library in promoting economic development.

Partnering with Sirius Thinking, creators of the award-winning PBS series Between the Lions, MCPL set up “reading dens” (a phrase they coined together). Reading den activities are based on episodes from the series and feature books, stories, games and hands-on activities for pre- and early readers and their families. MCPL worked with the Middle Country School District to find “test” families for the program’s pilot. With Schools Superintendent Roberta Gerold and the Teachers Association, the library participates in a sort of community book club, Middle Country Reads.

With the support of the Allstate Foundation, MCPL established a first-of-its-kind Catastrophe Readiness Clearinghouse to help families and businesses plan for potentially catastrophic events. A suggestion offered by a part-time librarian led to MCPL’s “singles” program—80 people and Channel 12 News showed up for the first event!
Last year, the nonprofit Pet Peeves contacted MCPL for ideas on educating people about healthy pet and anti-abuse issues. The library put together a Pet Information Fair, which brought out 21 providers from the Greyhound Association to rescue shelters and the Safe Pet Coalition. “We attracted 1200 people to the fair in three hours,” says Feinberg.

The library has long been aggressive in seeking out and writing grant applications. To complement these efforts, the Middle Country Library Foundation was formed in 1997. The nonprofit organization raises funds and provides the governance structure for library initiatives that extend beyond the local community. The Foundation Board of about 20 people, mostly from the business community, is uniquely positioned to assist the library in connecting to other foundations and government entities to secure grants.

A welcoming place
MCPL reaches out to bring as many families as possible to the library, and is sensitive to the changing community. Its “Welcome” sign can be read in English, Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Polish and Urdu.
“The ‘Welcome’ sign is a piece of art itself,” notes Feinberg. “We chose the six top languages spoken in the home and wanted them to be specifically diverse to represent the broader ethnic groups.” The Between the Lions’ program is particularly sensitive to Spanish-speaking families. ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes are also offered, and librarians run “conversation” groups to enable people to practice English skills.

A destination of choice for teens, the library formed a Teen Advisory Council, which worked directly with building expansion architects to develop a Teen Resource Center in the Selden branch. The Center features a Teen Lounge, and performance and meeting area, and includes a writers’ group, dance classes, an actors’ studio, video game tournaments and Science and Technology Club. Teens enjoy their Battle of the Bands, and also pair with young children as Book Buddies and Techno Buddies.

At MCPL, retirees participate in Brain Builder drop-in programs, receive information and referral services through Senior Connections, access large print materials and information through WISE (World of Information for Seniors and the Elderly), and attend programs like Let’s Do Lunch and a Movie. The library has PCs for public use, and both buildings are equipped with WiFi service. Its website, www.mcpl.lib.ny.us, sports a full calendar of programs and services.
A volunteer group, “Friends of the Middle Country Public Library” advocates for the library, raises funds for program and staff support, and donates small items that are generally not included in the library budget.

Managing the Island’s largest library
Although she operates a “public library,” Feinberg says, “In many ways, we’re similar to a small business.” The library has 60 full-time and nearly 300 part-time employees. It deals with human resource issues, and Feinberg adds, “We try hard not to let it get bureaucratic…and keep customer service oriented.” The library has a budget of $13+ million and annual circulation of 1.2 million. More than 60,000 people attend its 2400+ programs each year. Its 17,000-square-foot Children’s Room, one of the largest in the country, contains a Museum Corner, providing hands-on learning experiences through more than 40 exhibits over the past 20 years.

The author of eight books, and one in the works, Feinberg serves on the “kitchen cabinet” for the Rauch Foundation Long Island Index. She currently teaches a library studies course in marketing and public relations at Long Island University’s Post campus, and “coaches and encourages people to try library school.”

She’s a founder and immediate past president of the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce and founding member of the Middle Country Coalition for Smart Growth. Since 1997 she has served with the United Way of Long Island “Success by Six” initiative, and as a board member on youth-oriented organizations in Suffolk County and statewide, as well as the LI Museum of Art, History and Carriages. She lives in Stony Brook with her husband, Richard, who is a Stony Brook University librarian. The couple has two grown sons.