Building Community and Embracing Innovation

Summary

Chapter & Verse: Storytime from the Stacks Episode: Building Community and Embracing Innovation
Release Date: November 14, 2024
Host: Debbie McCullough
Co-Host: Eric Palmer
Guest: Ryan Tackleberry, Director of Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library

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Introduction

In the inaugural episode of Chapter & Verse: Storytime from the Stacks, hosts Debbie McCullough and Eric Palmer welcome Ryan Tackleberry, the newly appointed director of the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library in Imlay City, Lapeer County. This episode delves into Ryan’s extensive experience in librarianship, his vision for building community, and his embrace of innovation within the library setting.

Ryan Tackleberry’s Journey in Librarianship

Ryan Tackleberry brings two decades of diverse library experience to his new role. He began his career in his high school library, progressing from a page to a library assistant, and eventually earning his MLIS degree to become a librarian. Four weeks into his directorship at Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library, Ryan reflects on his journey:

"I just started here about four weeks ago. I have a lot of experience in libraries... It's exciting after having all of those experiences to get the chance to be the director of a library."
—Ryan Tackleberry [01:03]

The Importance of Libraries in the Community

Ryan emphasizes the pivotal role libraries play beyond merely housing books. He views libraries as vital community hubs where individuals can seek assistance, access resources, and engage in lifelong learning. His motivation to join the library profession stems from a deep-seated desire to help others, a value instilled in him by his mother.

"Libraries, obviously, they're a place where you can get a lot of books. But I think a lot of people today in the community look at libraries as a place they can go for help on a number of topics."
—Ryan Tackleberry [02:40]

Memorable Moments and Making a Difference

Ryan shares heartfelt stories illustrating the profound impact libraries can have on individuals. One notable incident involved helping an elderly patron locate a specific yearbook for a friend, illustrating how small gestures can significantly enhance someone’s life.

"He was so happy that I was able to do this for him. It wasn't for himself. Right. It was for his friend. And I feel like I made a big difference for him and for his friends."
—Ryan Tackleberry [07:23]

Another impactful moment involved receiving a heartfelt email from a patron who appreciated a program Ryan conducted, reaffirming his commitment to his role.

"Just knowing from them that this program that I did and what I had shown them influenced them and gave them this thing that they bonded over and then continue to do together."
—Ryan Tackleberry [18:16]

Embracing Technology: Working with Seniors

As a former digital services librarian, Ryan highlights his dedication to bridging the digital divide, especially among seniors. He recounts his efforts in tech tutoring and outreach at senior centers, helping individuals navigate the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

"Patience is an important thing, understanding, because for a lot of people, when you know how to use these things, it comes second nature. But explaining it to someone who doesn't know how to use it can be difficult."
—Ryan Tackleberry [13:55]

Ryan’s approach during the COVID-19 pandemic involved adapting to socially distanced tutoring sessions, assisting seniors with everything from using Zoom to connecting their phones to cars.

"My motto kind of was like, I might not know the answer, but I can probably learn it, and let's figure it out together."
—Ryan Tackleberry [14:48]

Personal Passion and Family Ties to Librarianship

Ryan shares a personal anecdote about meeting his wife through the library system, underscoring his profound connection to the profession. Their shared passion for libraries not only strengthened their relationship but also influenced their children’s appreciation for library services.

"We both still work in libraries. I think the best part too is we, we both care about libraries so much. We're both so passionate about libraries."
—Ryan Tackleberry [10:01]

He also amusingly recounts how his daughter associates library logos with him, highlighting the seamless integration of his professional life with his family’s experiences.

"That storybook trail had the Genesee District Library logo. And we'd walk by and my daughter would look at the logo and point at it and she would say, that's Dada."
—Ryan Tackleberry [15:35]

Building Relationships and Community Engagement

In his new role at Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library, Ryan aims to foster stronger connections between the library and the community. He plans to collaborate with various organizations, including senior centers and educational groups, to align library services with community needs.

"I feel like my biggest role is to connect with the community, find what they'd like to see in our library, and see how we can accomplish that."
—Ryan Tackleberry [22:13]

Ryan draws inspiration from the television show Ted Lasso, likening library ownership to community stewardship and emphasizing that libraries belong to the people they serve.

"I think about it in libraries a lot... The library belongs to the community. It's here for the community to serve what they want."
—Ryan Tackleberry [22:13]

Facing Future Challenges and Opportunities

Looking ahead, Ryan identifies the evolving preferences of younger generations, particularly Gen Z, as both a challenge and an opportunity for libraries. He notes the increasing popularity of ebooks among this demographic and the potential for libraries to adapt and meet their needs.

"There’s a lot of interesting stats... Gen Z are more likely to want to talk to others about books they're reading. Right. But they are also the least likely right now to read books or to read fewer books."
—Ryan Tackleberry [23:40]

Ryan remains optimistic, believing that libraries can effectively engage younger audiences by aligning services with their reading habits and preferences.

"I feel like young people today, they really care about the library. And I think it's all about finding those ways where we can connect with them to meet that demand."
—Ryan Tackleberry [23:40]

Motivation and Vision for the Future

What drives Ryan daily is his passion for people and the community. He is excited about building lasting relationships within Imlay City, collaborating with dedicated staff, and fostering an environment where both patrons and librarians thrive.

"I'm excited here to kind of work in one fixed area, getting to know the patrons on a deeper level... to support other people in the library profession and encourage them and try new things here."
—Ryan Tackleberry [26:26]

Conclusion

Ryan Tackleberry’s interview on Chapter & Verse: Storytime from the Stacks offers a compelling glimpse into his dedication to librarianship, community engagement, and innovative thinking. His experiences and heartfelt stories underscore the indispensable role libraries play in fostering community bonds and adapting to the changing needs of society. As Ryan embarks on his journey with the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library, his vision promises to enhance the library’s role as a vibrant community center.

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Notable Quotes:

• “Libraries are about people. Everything we do is about people in our community.”
  — Ryan Tackleberry [04:54]

• “Libraries are a place where you can get help with a number of topics. They can learn things, they can get access to resources.”
  — Ryan Tackleberry [02:27]

• “I love interacting with people. I love helping people.”
  — Ryan Tackleberry [06:20]

• “I’m really excited being here at the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library because of the community and the people and getting to know them.”
  — Ryan Tackleberry [26:26]

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This comprehensive summary captures Ryan Tackleberry’s insights and experiences, highlighting the essential themes of community building and innovation within the library landscape. His dedication to enhancing library services and fostering meaningful connections serves as an inspiring example for librarians and community members alike.

Transcript

[Debbie McCullough]

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Chapter and Verse Storytime from the Stacks. This is an original podcast series from the Michigan Library association and the Library Cooperatives of Michigan. We want to give a big thank you to our episode sponsor, Midwest Tape and hoopla. I'm Debbie McCullough, executive director of the Michigan Library association, and I'm joined by my co host.

[Eric Palmer]

Hi, Debbie. I am Eric Palmer, the director of the Mideastern Michigan Library Cooperative, which is one of the 11 cooperatives that make up the Library Cooperatives of Michigan.

[Debbie McCullough]

With us today is Ryan Tackleberry. He's the new director at the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library in Imlay City in Lapeer County. Well, welcome to the podcast, Ryan. We're so glad to have you with us.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[Debbie McCullough]

Just tell us a little bit about yourself and where you've come from and what you're doing right now.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Sure. So my name is Ryan Tagaberry. I am currently the director of the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library, and I'm a new director. I just started here about four weeks ago. I have a lot of experience in libraries. I've been working in libraries for about 20 years, starting as far back as working in my high school library. But then as I was going through college, I started working at the Genesee District Library. I've done a lot of different jobs. I started as a page. I became a library assistant. I got my MLIS degree and became a librarian. And now it's exciting after having all of those experiences to get the chance to be the director of a library.

[Debbie McCullough]

We're so glad you're with us and have taken on this new role.

[Eric Palmer]

So, Ryan, what's your first memory of the library?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

You know, my first memory of any library I always think of is when I was in elementary school. My elementary school library and the librarian there. That's the library I picture in my head when I just think of a generic library. I just remember having a lot of good experiences there and something that clearly has stayed with me and propelled me through my life and career.

[Debbie McCullough]

So you obviously have chosen libraries as a career path. But just tell us a little bit about maybe why the library is so important to the community and why you chose to work in the library.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

I think I gravitated towards libraries because I always wanted to help people. Growing up, I didn't always know what I wanted to do, but I knew that was the core component of what I wanted to do with my life and career, was to help people. A Big part of that goes back to, I think my mom was a big influence on me. She was someone who loved to help people and would stop whatever she was doing to help others, complete strangers, whatever she could do. And that's something she instilled in me. And I found that libraries for me are the perfect combination of an opportunity to help people while using the skills and knowledge that I have and the things that I'm really good at. And I think that's an important part of what the library is today in society, right? They're a place where you can get help with a lot of things. You can get resources. I think libraries, obviously, they're a place where you can get a lot of books. But I think a lot of people today in the community look at libraries as a place they can go for help on a number of topics. They can learn things, they can get access to resources. And it's just something that I feel is a great place for me because all the skills that I have and the things that I'm really good at combines with this opportunity to help our community and then be an important part of the community.

[Debbie McCullough]

You connected a lot of dots in terms of your career path and what you wanted to do within the community with those resources. So I commend you on all of the great things that are a part of all of those things that have made you into now this new director, which I think is upward momentum for what you're doing. So.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

And it's interesting because I think about this a lot in my career, starting as like a page in libraries. What I was doing at the beginning of my career working in libraries was a lot of, like, indirect working with the community. Right. Shelving books and doing these things behind the scenes. And then as an economic library and a librarian, it was a lot more directly interacting with the community, which is something that I really loved. And now it's fun because as a director, it's more indirect again, right? It's working with the staff and kind of helping them and guiding them, helping our library more behind the scenes again. And it's different, but it's still the same goal, right? Of engaging our community, helping our patrons, just through different ways.

[Eric Palmer]

Very nice. Ryan, what is one of the things you wished you had known when you began your career 20 some years ago?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Yeah, I think something that I didn't know as much when I started is the whole theme of my approach to libraries now, which is libraries are about people. Everything we do is about people in our community. And it's funny because when I first started, I felt like that was maybe the scariest part of the job, was interacting with the public and customer service. And those things really intimidated me. And what I learned through my career pretty early on is those things that kind of scared me, intimidated me, are actually things I'm really good at and are actually my favorite part of the job. It's what I really enjoy and why I have. I've been in libraries up to this point. I think, again, we think of libraries as buildings with a lot of materials and these different things. And to me, when I think of libraries, I think everything we do, it all comes down to the people, the community we serve, our patrons and our staff. And so I try to frame everything that I think about libraries through that lens, if that makes sense. Yeah. So when I had first started, I feel if I thought about how much of the job was interacting with people, maybe I would have been even more intimidated. But I feel as I have grown up and matured as a person and become a library director now, I love interacting with people. I love helping people.

[Debbie McCullough]

That's really funny, because we say a lot of the times that librarians are pretty introverted, yet they really do enjoy the gift that they give to the patrons. Right. And to those that are seeking advice and where to find something and what resource should I be looking for? And so I think that's an important concept of how you've managed all of that back and forth in your career.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Thank you. And it is true. I think that is the thing you write about librarians, where we're all big introverts. I consider myself a pretty big introvert, too, and that was why it was so intimidating at first. But I think another thing that connects a lot of librarians is I feel while they all may be really introverted and quiet, they also like sharing the things they love and their passions. And I think that the library is a great place to do that, and it's one of the many ways I think we connect with our patrons.

[Debbie McCullough]

So tell us a little bit about maybe a memorable moment when you feel like you've made a difference in someone's life.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

There's one story that I think about a lot that was a strange coincidence. And to tell it really quickly, when I was working as a digital librarian, I had my office on the staff side of the building, met our staff parking lot, and I had your ride dropped off an older patron who was in a walker, and he wasn't able to get in, but I saw him get dropped off. And so I went and opened the staff door and let him in and was talking to him. And I went and. And sat down with him and asked him what he needed help with. And normally I wouldn't have interacted with him at all. Right in what I was doing. He would have gotten helped by somebody else. But because he got dropped off at the wrong side, I met him. I was talking to him. He was looking for a specific yearbook. He was in a senior living facility, and a good friend of his who's in his 90s wasn't doing great, and his friend wanted a picture of his wife who he met in high school, and he wanted this yearbook photo. And he didn't have a copy of it anymore. So his friend came to the library to try to find it. And it turns out we did not have a copy of it at our library, but a neighboring library outside of our library system. They did have a copy, and it was a lot of work for him to get there. So just out of my way on my day off, I went over to that other library. I was able to find it for him, take some pictures and get them to him. It's really funny, because this patron, who I'd never met before, I gave him my business card. He saw my last name, and he just happened to work with my grandfather and knew my grandfather. And what a funny coincidence. But I think of that story a lot because he was so happy. He was so excited that I was able to do this for him. It wasn't for himself. Right. It was for his friend. And I feel like I made a big difference for him and for his friends. And that's something I'm really proud of. It's just a great, heartwarming moment. And it was nice to then meet someone my grandfather knew who I never would have met otherwise.

[Debbie McCullough]

Small gestures mean a lot.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

And I think the library is a place where there are a lot of opportunities for small gestures. I think there are people who come into the library who do experience we're here, and we do change their life in some ways. But I think the majority of things are these small interactions that maybe is harder to pinpoint. But I think of all these ways these minor small things that people are able to. Things are able to find or ways we're able to interact with the public and help them out. That can easily be overlooked, but I think is why people generally are such big fans of their library.

[Eric Palmer]

Very true. So, Ryan, what's one of the most interesting or unexpected things that has happened to you in the library and how is it impact your life?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Everybody who knows me will know this story, but I think the most unexpected thing is I happened to meet my wife working in libraries. She is also a librarian and we happened to work at the same library system for many years and never knew each other. And then we did meet. We're married obviously, because she's my wife. We have two kids. The best thing that can happen to you in a library, I think I have to be on the top of the list of who that's happened to. So we both still work in libraries. I think the best part too is we, we both care about libraries so much. We're both so passionate about libraries and I think we work together really well. We have someone who we can talk things over with and really understands what our jobs are like, but also someone who I feel like I am a better librarian because I have my wife there for sport. I'm a better person overall too. And we have two great children who also love the library and have been in many libraries.

[Debbie McCullough]

Just based on some of the conversations that we've had with you about your career path, I thought pretty interesting fact was how you work with seniors and the technology. Technology has changed so drastically over the course of the last 15 or 20 years and there are so many people that don't understand the digital world that we're living in. Can you talk a little bit about maybe how you're working with the seniors and senior centers and teaching them some of the skills that maybe come naturally to some of us yet don't come naturally to those that haven't been using this technology? Tell us a little bit about your role too in the digital librarian world.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Yes. So what you said is right. Like technology is changing so much and becoming such a huge part of our lives whether you want it to or not. There are so many things now that you can only do with the Internet and that impacts everyone and seniors especially who haven't kept up with some of this Technology sneaks up on you because at first maybe you don't need to, but eventually comes to a point where you do. And if you haven't been keeping up, it gets harder and harder. When I was the digital services librarian, I was the first person to have that position at the Genesee District Library. And a big part of what I did was outreach and tech tutoring. I went to a lot of senior centers and offered one on one help with the seniors. I offered presentations on different topics, tech related topics, and it's something I really loved, I really enjoy doing because it's one of those things where if you don't know how to do these things, if you don't know how to use your smartphone or how to use the Internet or how to use your computer, there's not a lot of great places to go and learn them if you can't do it on your own. And I think the library is a resource people come to looking for these things. And I was always trying to find the best ways where we could teach as many people these skills as possible. And I tried it a lot of different ways. We would always try experimenting different ways to do it, whether it was big presentations or one on one help. What I really enjoyed was going to the senior centers and building these relationships with the people there and the staff. And sometimes I would go in to one of the senior centers and they would all know me by name. I'd see some of the same people over and over again, or they'd just be there hanging out and they would know me and they were so grateful for that help. I think an important part is when you're helping people learn these skills. Patience is an important thing, understanding, because for a lot of people, when you know how to use these things, it comes second nature. But explaining it to someone who doesn't know how to use it can be difficult and it's difficult to learn and it can be a frustrating experience. And so I think the library is one of many things we can help people learn.

[Debbie McCullough]

I just bought a new car and I definitely need help with the two iPads that sit in front of me. You're going to have to start drives with people.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

It's funny, for a while I would, I am. Originally I envisioned it. We started doing one on one tech tutoring during COVID and the thought was to help people learn how to use Zoom so they could call or, and do it kind of in a socially distanced way. And we had a lot of stuff there. And then we're kind of became other things, became, oh, I'll help you with other computer things, other phone things. I'll show you how to use your phone. A lot of times it was, they're like, hey, can you help me connect my phone to my car? I'm like, yes, sure, let's go outside and do it. Sometimes I had people bring in their remote control and they're like, I don't know how to use this, how to control my tv. Can you show me what these buttons do? Or a label maker or. And so I'd keep a list of oh, what is the strangest thing I can help someone learn. And my motto kind of was like, I might not know the answer, but I can probably learn it, and let's figure it out together.

[Debbie McCullough]

You're my kind of person. Let's take a quick break to hear more from our episode sponsor. When John eldred began selling VHS tapes from his successful video store to libraries in 1989, the first librarian he visited became a valued mentor, teaching him about the needs of libraries. With that knowledge, John soon evolved his store into the family owned Midwest tape. Now, 35 years later, Midwest Tape and Hoopla have become trusted library partners, advocating for fair pricing and helping to provide communities with equitable access to content. That's our story, and now we are proud to be able to help share yours.

[Eric Palmer]

Ryan. How would you share your love of the libraries with your family and your community?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Yes. So I am always that kind of annoying person. Probably when I meet someone new and we talk about what they like to do and I'm like, oh, the library. You'd use the library. I can help you find the closest library to you. Or hey, if you're listening to that audiobook, where'd you get it from? Let me tell you about library digital services. But my family, we love going to the library. My kids are very young and I worked with a lot of great youth librarians and I've seen a lot of great youth programs. And we love going to story time. We love finding, like other library activities. We go all over. We've been to a lot of libraries. When I worked in Genesee District Library, I would try and leave the county to find libraries that weren't libraries I worked at just so I could go with my kids anonymously. We have all kinds of places now. It's funny, we know staff who work everywhere and so we have different libraries. My daughter will always call them by the librarian there. She knows, oh, I want to go to Katie's library today or I want to go here. So that's fun. Here's another story I can tell really quick. Here's a story I can tell going back to my wife, right? We both worked at Tennessee District Library for a really long time. Now we both work other places. I'm at Ruth Hughes, obviously, but we both worked there for a long time. And we have in Genesee County a storybook trail. That's really cool. And we would go there a lot and go through and do the storybook trail. And on each page, the storybook trail had the Genesee District Library logo. And we'd walk by and my daughter would look at the logo and point at it and she would say, that's Dada. And, yeah, I'm the library logo. That's what she's associated with. But it made my wife mad because she was like, I worked there just as long. How come that logo isn't me? So that's pretty fun. That was a fun thing. But as my kids get a little older, I wonder if they're going to just wonder if. Does everybody work at a library? Because her, she. We both work at libraries and she knows so many. Is that just like a normal thing? Everyone works at a different library. But to go back to the question, we're in libraries all the time. I'm a big supporter of libraries. Not just as someone who works in them, but. But I love to make use of them and my family and I love them. There have been days where I have left work and then gotten home, and then we turn around and then went back to a different library, and that's where my whole day was spent, was at a library.

[Debbie McCullough]

That's great, Ryan. That is fun. When we talked a little bit earlier about when you made an impact on someone else's life, but is there anything you can share about when a patron has made an impact on your life and tell us a little bit more about what happened and how that affected you? You.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

When I think about this a lot, what I really come up with often is hearing from patrons about something that I've done at the library or something they've experienced. I remember when I was doing one of my presentations about cord cutting and switching to streaming tv. I did that one a lot and I would always give out my information. I'd be like, hey, contact me if you have any questions afterwards. Let me know and I'll get back to you. And I had a patron who emailed me and they had said that they were just in town for a little bit. They're not normally from the area, and they had seen a flyer for the program and they came. They learned so much. They didn't have any questions. They just wanted to say how much they appreciated the program and the work I put into it. And that was such a nice email to get because they didn't have to send that I'm never going to see them again. They're not one of our regular patrons. Right. I don't know who they are, but that they took the time to email me and say, thank you for doing this for me. I put a lot of thought into what we're doing at the library and what our community wants. And just hearing that feedback as someone really appreciated something that was just a little email. And I still think about that to this day. It makes me feel like what I'm doing matters and I appreciate that a lot. And then also it influenced me a little because I think about that email and I try it's changed how I interact with people and I think about how much that meant to me and try and pass that on when I'm on the other side of that situation. Another great experience again, I had a father and son come into one of my 3D printing classes. I was doing show them the 3D printer and all this stuff. And then they really had a great time. And then for a long time after that, they got their own 3D printer and they really got into 3D printing as like a thing they did together. And they would come in and show me what they had made and talk to me about it. And again, just knowing from them that this program that I did and what I had shown them influenced them and gave them this thing that they bonded over and then continue to do together. And that makes me really happy. And so I guess for me, the biggest thing that patrons have done is just when they appreciate what I have done, I guess it really stays with me and really firms to me that I'm doing the job that I was meant to do or something that I really enjoy doing.

[Debbie McCullough]

When you share the love of the things that you like to do with others and that they gravitate toward that is very satisfying, I'm sure.

[Eric Palmer]

Ryan, you had mentioned that you have 20 years experience and that you're a brand new director. I was wondering, could you talk about what your experiences have been and how you can bring that to Ruth Hughes and the community in Hanway City.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Something that I feel like I have a lot of experience with is building these relationships with different organizations. I do that a lot with senior centers or going in with schools and homeschool groups and fighting things the library has to offer and what these groups wanted or needed and finding a way to work together to provide them help with the library. And I feel like that's a big part of what I am bringing to Ruth Hughes and plan to bring. We have such a great community here. I've been here about a month now, and one thing that I really noticed and appreciated is how welcoming the community here has been to me. Both the library staff, our public, they've been really wonderful. And so something that I really want to do is help connect the library more to the community, reach out to different organizations here, see what they want from the library and also just the public. What do people want from the library? What do they want to see in the library? So, Debbie and Eric, have you watched a television show called Ted Lasso?

[Debbie McCullough]

No.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Okay. You should. There's a quote they talk about. So it's about, like, British soccer, and they talk about the people who own these soccer teams in England. They're. There's the stewards of the teams. They're really owned by the fans. And that's not really. It's not really true. They are owned by, like, billionaires. But I like that quote. I think about it in libraries a lot. Right. The library belongs to the community. It's here for the community to serve what they want. I think about a lot because I think of as a director here, I think my biggest role is to connect with the community, find what they'd like to see in our library, and see how we can accomplish that. Right. That's something I enjoy. I think maybe some people don't really enjoy, like, strategic planning and all these kind of difficult things. I really enjoy that because it's a great opportunity to see what the community and what the public wants out of their library and how we can accomplish that, how we can find that and figure out what we're going to do here at the Ruth Hughes Library.

[Debbie McCullough]

So it cracks me up. You are a newbie in the director world, and I think it's great that we're starting our podcast with that. But now it's about longevity. Right now it's about what are you going to accomplish and maybe what are the biggest challenges that you see facing librarians and libraries in the next 10 years? You have now 10 more years to work this out, Ryan. So what are you going to do?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

And I'll be the first one. And now I can't even listen to everyone else first and be like, oh, these are good things I can take note of. And I look forward to seeing what everyone else is going to say as the podcast continues. I'm going to be excited to hear. So the challenge is, like, the next 10 years. I think looking ahead, I feel like that's something I'm always doing. I like looking to the head of the future at libraries and predicting things. And I feel like some things I predicted, well, some things I haven't. You never really know libraries. That's what makes libraries, I think, so interesting. You mentioned earlier about technology constantly changing, and I feel like that's felt a lot in libraries especially. So I think right now a big challenge facing libraries in the next 10 years. I'm also an optimist, right? There's always like the same challenges we can think of that are not fun to talk about. But I think an exciting challenge is an opportunity. And I think that with Gen Z in the library, there's a lot of interesting stats. There's some in Library Journal recently where like Gen Z are more likely to want to talk to others about books they're reading. Right. But they are also the least likely right now to read books or to read a fewer books. And they according to these surveys and who knows where they come from and how accurate they are. They prefer reading books but also are really open to reading ebooks. And I feel like people are always sometimes like negative about the next generation. I think that's just a kind of a thing that goes on throughout time. Everyone's blah, blah, blah. I think with Gen Z they are interesting because I feel like there's an opportunity for libraries where I think, I think there's going to be a demand for what libraries are doing. And I sometimes wonder if libraries have, are positioned or have thought or have enough time to adjust to capitalize on what that demand will be. I think what most libraries are like again, ebooks get more and more popular every year in a lot of libraries that are outpacing like the demand of physical books. But I think looking to the future, it's always tough. I guess I'm optimistic and I feel like young people today, they really care about the library. And I think it's all about finding those ways where we can connect with them to meet that demand, if that makes sense.

[Debbie McCullough]

You talked about earlier about our libraries being more than just books. We are social centers and places to read and study and learn and fill out forms. And there's just so many uses of our libraries these days. I think you're right. The other generations are going to find it. Eric, we have time for one more question, so I'll let you take that last question.

[Eric Palmer]

Ryan, what motivates you to go to work every day? What gives you hope and what are you most excited about for the future?

[Ryan Tackleberry]

So I think what motivates me for the future is what I talked about a lot here is it's the people. I'm really excited being here at the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library because of the community and the people and getting to know them. In that past, when I was working in a large library system, I worked all over the county. I'm excited here to kind of work in one fixed area, getting to know the patrons on a deeper level, seeing some of the same people over and over again, working with the same organizations, being focused on a kind of a smaller area. To me, that's what excites me. That's what I love about the library, is being able to meet these people and find ways to make them excited to come to the library. I have always been fortunate when I have worked to be on a team of really supportive people who believed in the library, were passionate about the library, but also who believed in me and encouraged me. And now as a director, I am excited at the opportunity to get to pass that on and continue to do that, to support other people in the library profession and encourage them and try new things here and see what works, see what the community is interested in and help encourage the ideas of the great staff here that I get to work with.

[Debbie McCullough]

Ryan, that was a great interview. Thank you so much for joining us and being a part of our new adventure with the Michigan Library association and the Library Cooperatives of Michigan. It's really interesting to hear the story that you've told, how it has impacted you and where we're going in the future. So thank you. Appreciate it.

[Ryan Tackleberry]

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to get to listen to other people too and learn about others in the community here.

[Debbie McCullough]

Thanks again for joining us, Ryan, and thanks to everyone for listening to the inaugural episode of Chapter and Verse Story Time from the Stacks. Join us on the second Thursday of each month for new episodes and be sure to subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. Listen to your favorite podcasts. We want to give a huge thank you to our episode sponsor, Midwest Tape and Hoopla. Be sure to Visit them@hoopla digital.com Much appreciation for listening. We'll see you next time.