Autumn Years Spring 2023

I n 2007, the impending impact of digitization seemed to pervade most conversations about the fu ture of libraries, Martha recalls. People were saying things like, “Everything will be available online, and if everything is online, we won’t need a library.” This ob viously has not proven true, says Mar tha, because even if things are online, they are not always accessible. Accessibility, Martha explains, means many things. The library facility itself should be accessible, inviting and engaging—inside and out. It should be a pleasure to walk through its doors. Materials people want and need should be available—from print to visual to digital to online. Technology to access materials needs to be available—both in the library and to borrow. Staff should be welcoming and helpful, serving as sources of information and of inspira tion. People who are important to know in the community, like public leaders and private citizens who are experts in

All are designed with access in mind. As part of the library’s kids program ming, Martha’s team put together pic ture book bags, allowing kids to bring home curated collections of some of the best-known and award winning titles of all time. If the Borough of Westwood is do ing something, Martha finds ways the library can help expand access to the event or initiative. For example, be fore Westwood’s annual “Home for the Holidays” parade, Martha keeps the li brary open normal hours to host com plementary activities—a storytime with Mrs. Claus and a holiday singalong with the high school choir—to give people a chance to gather and warm up before heading out to the parade. One of Martha’s favorite library events has been an art show featuring the work of local K-12 students. She reached out to art teachers throughout the school district and worked with them to display their students’ work all over the library. As a result, citizens with no children in school had the opportu-

quest to get an answer,” says Martha. “I often think how lucky for people who walk in who might not speak the lan guage, or are maybe a little hard of hear ing, or seeing, or new to the area, or re ally any number of things, that they can walk in and get greeted with a friendly face and some assistance. At a time when everything seems to take a com puter, a username and password or an automated answering service, how nice it must be, or what a relief it must be, to come in and ask a question to a friendly person who’s going to listen and get you to appropriate and vetted information.” The library is open sev

their fields, should be re sources accessible through the library, too. Under Martha’s leader ship, the Westwood Free Public Library is most definitely all about access. “Libraries, and our library especially, are such won derful assets to the com munity as a starting point to anyone’s journey or

en days a week and three evenings. Martha is one of three full-time staff mem bers, and the team also in cludes ten part-time staff. The team runs a broad range of programs for adults and children alike. Some are more traditional, like book clubs for adults, others are more innovative.

38 AUTUMN YEARS I SPRING 2023