By Lisa Moody Breslin; Photography by Walter P. Calahan
Lynn Wheeler thinks, breathes, lives, and loves libraries. They have been a part of her life for more than 42 years; for the last ten years, and currently, Wheeler rises each morning to lead a team of more than 285 employees to open the doors for Carroll County’s six library branches (and three libraries on wheels).
Wheeler’s library tour includes professional stops as a librarian in Cockeysville and Catonsville. She has also served as program services coordinator at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies and did a two-year stint with Library Systems and Services, a Germantown-based consulting firm.
She began her career in library administration in 1977, and in 1986 was named assistant director of CCPL. Wheeler and her husband, Jerry Klauber, live in Finksburg.
During one of your earliest interviews with the local newspaper, you said that you consider libraries doors to America. As doors to our county, what do libraries suggest?
This is a county of readers and continual learners. Our visitors have diverse hobbies, which unfold in our Maker Space, and they are interested in classes about coding and robotics. The library doors also open up to the fact that many people in the county have no Internet access, so CCPL has shifted to a public utility role so that folks can pay their bills online, apply for jobs, pay their taxes. Carroll has been ahead of the game. The county has been supportive of technology needs, and partnerships with the public schools and neighboring colleges, thanks to Gary Davis’ leadership, ensure lower costs.
The numbers speak to many of the points you make about our county of readers and continual learners. Share some of those statistics.
Eighteen of the last 20 years, we have the highest “circs per capita” — 23.83 during 2014. The state average is 8.9. We had more than 9,000 summer reading participants, and more than 1,300 elementary and middle school students competed in Battle of the Books.
Battle of the Books?
You’d have to attend a battle to feel the students’ thrill about books during these competitions. They work in teams, led by media specialists, and answer questions related to content and what the author is trying to bring to them. The coaches get a rousing ovation when they come in. They are fantastic, and the competition is exciting to see.
What are three things that have surprised you the most during your tenure in libraries so far?
As information changes and community needs change, our libraries have done a great job of re-envisioning ourselves. When I started, we could tell you what we have in the library, but we couldn’t tell you much about the community. Beginning in the 1970s, libraries started to look outside. We asked, “What is in the community and how can we bring the community together?” We re-invented; we gathered data — every swimming pool, day care providers, nonprofits — and we created an online database of community resources so we could be the one-stop shop. As technology boomed, the staff brought the community along. This is a literacy issue. Libraries broadened literacy to information literacy.
What have been some of the biggest hassles for you as the director, lately?
In the past, libraries were a quiet places, but it’s difficult to keep a lid on 23,000 square feet, which includes a children’s area. Managing noise is tough. If I could wave a magic wand, I would create quiet space. For now, we rove and help monitor noise levels.
Briefly discuss two things you are for which you are most thankful – professional gratitude rather than personal?
The phenomenal staff and strong partnerships in the community. The fact that the staff is customer-oriented, collaborative, hardworking and passionate about a variety of interests helps CCPL offer more than 6,000 activities each year. I love the events offered; they stimulate imagination and bring people together. Partnerships play a vital role in everything we unfold. Our work with the public schools, the community college, Hoover Library at McDaniel, the county’s Early Childhood Consortium, Maryland Humanities Council, the Historical Society of Carroll County help us meet the needs of the 1 million-plus library visits each year.
As the library’s administrator, what are you tired of talking about?
The relevance of libraries, thanks to Google; Google does not make libraries obsolete. Our community role is more in-depth. We enjoy helping customers navigate mass amounts of information.
Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
I’m not sure what we will do. This work has been so fabulous. Libraries in 10 years? We will continue to be the pulse of the learning environment.
What inspires you?
Libraries and all associations linked to libraries. Reading. I am never bored.
Your favorite books or authors right now?
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a masterpiece. I also love Some Luck by Jane Smiley and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.
Who inspires you?
So many people in the county: Cindy [Parr, director of Human Services Programs of Carroll County], Sandy [Oxx, director of the Carroll Arts Center], [county budget director] Ted Zaleski and Joyce Muller, [first president of the Friends of the Carroll County Public Library]. I’m blown away by Joyce’s grasp of literature; she is inspiring. I am really honored to be in this community. Look what we are doing together.
