Downtown Louisville was caught off guard on August 4, 2009 when 6.5 inches of rain fell in a little over an hour and sent the Ohio River roaming through the streets. The main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL), 301 W. York St., suffered some of the worst damage, with water chest-deep in the building’s lower level. The flood did about $8 million worth of damage, destroying nearly 50,000 books, dozens of computers, three bookmobiles and most of the library’s mechanical systems.
“I was wringing my hands and we were all wondering how to recover from this,” says Mary Hunt, executive director of the Library Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for the LFPL. “At some point, (Library Director) Craig Buthod said there had been enough hand wringing and we had to start rebuilding. The main library was only closed 23 days, and we opened the new Newburg branch almost immediately after the flood. That was a busy month.”
Buthod, who has led LFPL since April 1998, saw the flood as a boon. In November 2007, LFPL suffered a setback after Jefferson County voters defeated a proposal to raise the county occupational tax by two-tenths of one percent in order to fund $38.9 million in library system improvements. At the time, Buthod vowed to remain aggressive in upgrading library facilities and services rather than cutting back the scale of the ambitious master plan. After the flood, armed with more than $10 million (money from the insurance company, FEMA, the Library Foundation and private donations), Buthod set about implementing some of the changes he wanted. The improvements at the main branch include a new 3,000-square-foot children’s library, a 2,000-square-foot teen library on the lower level, and a 350-seat public auditorium to host lectures by visiting authors.
“We rebuilt the destroyed parts of the library in a matter of months” Buthod says. “Since then, we have done renovations and improvements that would not have been possible if not for the flood. The way I like to look at it is that we are repairing 200 percent of the damage from the flood.”
Buthod was named 2010 Librarian of the Year by the Library Journal, in part for his leadership in the aftermath of the flood. The magazine also cited his fealty to the LFPL master plan, which calls for refurbishing or rebuilding most branches, building more community libraries and improving technological services. Buthod has also partnered with Jefferson County Public Schools on several initiatives, including an adult education center housed on the second floor of the main branch and issuing library cards which double as student IDs to more than 100,000 public and private school students. Buthod says he is trying to integrate LFPL into other areas of the community because the library’s mission is evolving in the 21st century.
“The way people use the library is changing,” Buthod says. “The biggest change is the use of technology. What surprises people is that running parallel with the use of technology is the use of books. We have a lot more books than we had 13 years ago. The more we invest in technology the more books are checked out. More people are coming to the library, and while they are there they see what is available to them for free.”
LFPL has 17 branch libraries throughout Jefferson County. Combined, they see about 3.6 million visitors a year, or more than 11,000 a day. Visitors come to check out books, but they are also attracted by the library’s free Internet access. Each branch has free wireless Internet, and together the branches have more than 500 computers available, allowing library patrons up to two hours of online access per day. LFPL recently received a grant from the Department of Commerce to increase bandwidth throughout the library system. Buthod hopes to have more than 600 computers in the next 10 years. The Job Shop, where job seekers can get help applying for work online, has also been created at the main branch.
LFPL also has its own app, which is available for the iPhone and other smart phones. The focus on technology also extends to having a more computer-savvy library staff. The library system recently implemented an internal education program called 23 Things, to teach the staff about working with blogs, social networking, and other technological issues that patrons may face. The Library Foundation also provides scholarships for library staff who want to pursue Library Science degrees. Buthod says all of this is part of the plan to increase the library’s role as a site for informal education. In fact, until the end of June, the library and JCPS are offering free GED tests to people who have a library card.
“We try to tie into things that are close to our mission,” Buthod says. “The literacy component, of course, is an important part of our mission. The Job Shop was an idea to pull together all the things the library does for job hunters anyway, but to make it more focused and give it more attention. One of the things that is going on downtown is that the library is having events where we will [invite] hundreds of people to meet an author or hear a lecture. We just gave away 1,000 tickets to see Suze Orman.” Buthod also cites the library’s Conversation Cafe, a program that brings together people who are learning English with people who speak English everyday.
A big part of Buthod’s plan for the future is building more libraries. LFPL built a Newburg branch in 2009 and it is currently renovating the Shawnee branch at 39th and Broadway. Former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson’s last city budget included money to build a new Fairdale Library on city-owned land. Hunt, of the Library Foundation, says all of the new branches along with the library system’s focus on technology are investments in Jefferson County’s future.
“There is a misconception that the library is becoming obsolete,” Hunt says. “That cannot be further from the truth. I see the computers at the main library full everyday. The library may take a different shape in the future, but will still be needed.”
The writer is The Highlander calendar editor and a part-time circulation clerk at the Shawnee Branch of the LFPL. You can contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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