From Steering the Ship to Setting Course at East Lansing Public Library
When Chrissie Evaskis-Garrett took over as the interim East Lansing Public Library director in July, she saw herself as a placeholder, intending only to “steer the ship” until a long-term replacement was found.
However, she quickly grew to enjoy the community engagement aspects of her new role, responsibilities that she did not take on as much previously when she worked as the library’s collections team leader.
“In collections you have to know about the community, for the director role you have to be in the community,” Evaskis-Garrett said.
Last week, the library board of directors chose Evaskis-Garrett to serve as the library director going forward – expressing confidence in her ability to guide the ELPL’s more than 30 staff members.
As the collections team leader, Evaskis-Garrett selected, maintained and evaluated the library’s digital and physical materials. But serving as director requires additional knowledge, like understanding the laws that could impact the library and people’s right to intellectual freedom.
Admittedly, there was an adjustment period, Evaskis-Garrett said.
“The first couple months here were an exercise in trying not to drown,” she said.
She credits former Library Director Kevin King with helping her navigate the transition. His guidance was crucial during a period of high turnover atop the library’s hierarchy. King served as ELPL director for 16 months and before him, Angelo Moreno served as interim director for eight months.
“He [King] is still very generous with his time when I call him … Which is really nice because if you’re looking at the tenure of directors and interim directors … there’s just not a lot of institutional memory left,” Evaskis-Garrett said.
The often temporary nature of interim leadership makes it tricky to build partnerships. Evaskis-Garrett said she’s looking forward to creating new connections and strengthening existing ones now that she has been named the permanent director.
“The challenge … was the uncertainty of permanency … Now things feel a little more stable since I feel like I’m in a better position to advocate for the library,” Evaskis-Garrett said.
As library director, Evaskis-Garrett hopes to break down barriers the community may be experiencing, such as access to materials in different languages – an important challenge to overcome given the diversity of the Greater Lansing area.
“A lot of it is trying to identify who are we missing, like who’s not in the conversation,” Evaskis-Garrett said.
Some of her practical goals revolve around facility and site improvement, such as fixing the library’s roof and completing the musical garden next to the building’s entrance.
Additionally, she plans to expand staff training. Earlier this year, the staff received training in how to interact with teens, as an important responsibility for library staff is addressing teen behavioral issues that sometimes arise.
Evaskis-Garrett also plans to strengthen the partnership with the East Lansing school board, noting that both the library and schools have a vested interest in the kids’ success.