St. Paul project aims to rethink libraries as hubs supporting community needs

On a quiet afternoon in St. Paul, Jo Bjorgaard and her sons thumbed through books in the Rondo Community Library.

Kids laughed and played in the nearby children's section. Wheels rattled against a metal book cart pushed by staff. Visitors browsed computers, greeting other patrons and asking staff questions. It's a scene that's considered normal for many of the city's libraries.

But that's not always been the case. Staff across the city's libraries have found themselves stretched beyond their job requirements, addressing mounting security concerns related to mental illness and drug use among patrons. In recent months, staffers have shared their stories about assaults, hostile confrontations and staffing shortages within libraries.

Amid a changing landscape, patrons like Bjorgaard are rethinking the roles that libraries play.

"I think of libraries as a community hub, and in community hubs we should be providing things that cover people's basic needs like health care, social services support [and] support for families," Bjorgaard said. "Especially in the winter here in Minnesota, we may have houseless populations come and spend the days at the library. And those are people who don't have access to health care and desperately need that help."

Significant work to redefine libraries is being planned by library officials and the city's Office for Neighborhood Safety, which have partnered to launch a project that would deploy five to seven safety specialists in libraries across the city.

It's still unclear what duties those specialists will have, but Office for Neighborhood Safety Director Brooke Blakey says they will be an extension of the city's community ambassador initiative — an initiative that employs people to intervene with troubled youth and connect them to jobs and city resources.

The city has contracted with SDK Communications, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm, to help decide what those specialists will do. St. Paul Public Library Interim Director Maureen Hartman said the work will be innovative because most libraries take a more traditional approach to security or rely on law enforcement.

"What we're contracting with is a consulting group to help us do this. Help us build out the model. Make sure that we're not just dreaming up an idea that we thought was a good idea — that we're talking with community members, that we're talking with staff, and that we're bringing in other experts," Hartman said. "So that the model that we're building is really the right one for the library now and in the future, not the model from the past."

Past models for security at St. Paul libraries did not go well. In 2017 the St. Paul police stationed an officer outside the Rondo Library every evening — a move that Hartman says did not "feel great" for community, staff and police. Efforts to station firefighter-EMTs at George Latimer Central Library last year failed to mitigate security concerns there.

Some have suggested that Hartman place a guard at the doors to ensure everyone at the library is there for legitimate business, but she says that is against what libraries stand for.

"Who am I to say what legitimate business is, right? You're coming in to use the bathroom? That's legitimate. You're coming in to meet with your friend and talk in two chairs in the corner? That's legitimate," Hartman said. "We're here to help folks understand that there's a variety of reasons that they could be in the library."

St. Paul police Sgt. Mike Ernster said there is currently no formal agreement between the department and the city's libraries, but that they remain available if needed.

"A lot of times we're in direct communication with library staff," he said. "If they have a problem and identify that, our officers will work with them to address whatever problem they're having and work to keep everyone who goes to a library in St. Paul safe."

For Blakey, who grew up in St. Paul, libraries were a place of refuge where she could go for "everything that you could possibly need." Many now use the library to access the internet or to pass time. Some homeless residents use them for shelter. Those needs are sometimes too much for library staff.

Blakey says the proliferation of guns and gun violence has created more challenges for library staff, and that the city is working to address their concerns.

"I know sometimes they feel like they're an afterthought, but they're not," Blakey said. "We recognize that that's not your skill set and yes, you do want to help people. But [we're] making sure that we give you a partner and a community partner in there to help you navigate those things and helping you give that warm handoff."

Hartman and Blakey say the city also plans to involve residents in the project, asking the community what they value and how the role might help them. A project kickoff meeting is planned for early March, and American Rescue Plan funds could support the project through 2026.