Summary:
Susan Weaver was interviewed on November 25, 2008, by Mary McCosker. As a professional librarian working for the country, she was the last manager of the “old library,” which opened in 1962, and the first at the new (2009) library.
Having lost her hearing at age 2, Susan showed an interest throughout her career in providing services to the disability community and the underserved in general. She provided library services in the county jail for a while. She was proud that the new library would offer gateway programming and assistive technologies for people with disabilities, and that it would be a resource for the whole county in this field.
Oral History:
Mary McCosker: This is Mary McCosker, it is Tuesday, November 25th, 2008, and I am interviewing Susan Weaver.
Susan Weaver: Yep. It has to be going around it.
MM: Is it going around it?
SW: Yep. It’s going around it. Oh, yes.
MM: Okay, what are your first or best childhood memories of libraries?
SW: I don’t remember what my first experience in the library was, because I think, you know, my parents were voracious readers, so I think they brought books home to me. But my best childhood memories of libraries was when we lived in Colorado. So every Wednesday afternoon, my mom and brother and I would walk to, it was about a mile, to Golf Acres Shopping Center and to the bookmobile there. And so one at a time, we got to go in, because it was a tiny space, and choose our five books. We couldn’t have more than five books. And so I would choose my five books, and then my mom would choose five for my dad and for her. And then I, you know, as the years went by, I started reading mine and my brother’s and my dad’s and my mom’s.
MM: So reading was important to you as you grew up?
SW: Reading was especially important to me, I think, because about, when I was about two, I lost my hearing from nerve damage, and my eustachian tubes grew closed. And so by the time I was five, I was deaf. But my parents didn’t know, and schools didn’t know. And, I mean, even talking with a nasal quality, and still they didn’t know. It was back in the days when they didn’t test. I was the youngest of five. Maybe my parents were a bad touch to me. I don’t know. But it was this, I remember being on the top bunk in my bedroom with a book about horses. And I must have been about four or five years old. And I thought to myself, I love this. I love sitting here. I’m not struggling to try to figure out what somebody is saying to me. I’m not getting in trouble for disobeying because I didn’t hear. And so to make a long story short, I graduated from kindergarten, but we moved to Virginia from California in first grade. And I flunked first grade. But, and so at the end of the first grade year, when my parents then realized that I was deaf, had made arrangements for me to go to, you know, let me think about this. And my first grade teacher, Mrs. Stoops, sat me on her lap and said, you know, this kid is not retarded. I think I’m going to have her read. And so I read at a kindergarten level. And then she gave me a first grade reader and I read that. She gave me a second grade reader and I read that. And got to third grade and so they realized I wasn’t handicapped. So I went to a deaf and blind school for my second, first year. And I don’t retain any of the sign language or anything, but I had a series of operations. And then more operations as I grew older up until when I was 21. So I hear, I have a hearing aid that I wear sometimes. But so reading is very important.
MM: Wow.
SW: Long story.
MM: So you grew up in, what were your favorite childhood books? Do you have anything you remember specifically? The horse book for sure.
SW: Yeah, Sue Barton, RN. I read the entire series. Isn’t that funny? And I remember my first adult book, which was Fail Safe, about nuclear explosions. I read that when I was in fourth grade.
MM: So you grew up in Colorado and then in Virginia. Did you spend the rest of your childhood in Virginia?
SW: Yeah, I did.
MM: Whereabouts in Virginia?
SW: On the outskirts of D.C. It was a great place to grow up.
MM: And did you have an awareness of community while you were growing up?
SW: No.
MM: Tell me about your education.
SW: I have a master’s in library science and information technology, like all librarians do.
MM: Okay, did you go to college, obviously?
SW: Yes, I did. I graduated from Cal State Hayward with a degree in English. And then went to San Jose for my master’s.
MM: So you came back to California at some point when you were an adult then?
SW: Yeah.
MM: Okay. And have you always been just a librarian? I mean, not to make that sound, maybe I should rephrase that. Have you done anything else besides being a librarian?
SW: Yes, I worked in doctors’ offices. I worked in hospitals, in accounting. But it certainly wasn’t my love. So I chose to be, I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom for about 16 years when my kids were growing up.
MM: So as an adult, do you have some early community experiences? Have you moved around a lot or have you been in one place mostly?
SW: We’ve been in Pleasant Hill and Martinez for 30-plus years. And I do have early community experiences. As a stay-at-home mom, I did a lot of volunteer work in the schools, in my church. I was a den mother and Girl Scout person and soccer coach and baseball. And I would say that my proudest experience, and PTA, president of PTA when the kids were growing up. My proudest experience was writing the Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Manual for Mt. Diablo School District.
MM: I know. I know exactly what you mean.
SW: Yep.
MM: Because Fred Brill just called me and asked me if I’ve been involved in ours before and now I’m going to sort of bring it back.
SW: Yeah.
MM: Okay. I want to ask you about living in Lafayette, or what attracted you was the job.
SW: Well, I think what attracted me was the job, and I do have something to say about that, which is my entire library career has been mostly in disadvantaged areas, and I have spent my career trying to convince people about the value of libraries. And I’ve talked to so many organizations, and working as a jail librarian and as a librarian trying to put a library in juvenile hall, all of those places were a terrific experience, and I wouldn’t take back a moment of it. But when I was offered a management position for the Antioch Library, and I turned it down, because I didn’t want to go back to a community that didn’t have resources. So when San Ramon opened up, I took that job, and then of course when Lafayette became available as an acting, I felt like I had come home again. You know, I came into a community of people that absolutely get it. And maybe I’m jumping ahead, but I knew that, I mean, obviously I knew that a new library was being built, and that I didn’t have to explain the value of libraries, but what I didn’t know was I didn’t really know the character of the community in terms of how welcoming and how loving they would be, and I also didn’t know how amazingly savvy and smart the people in Lafayette are. And having worked in a variety of libraries throughout the County, Lafayette is heads above in terms of their Friends’ group, their Foundations, the people that are working towards the new library, it’s astounding. I am so lucky.
MM: I don’t know if we should, I’ll ask this, and then if we’ve already answered it, then just say never mind. But talking about the goals of the community as a place of mutual support, shared values, and acceptance of difference, how do you see Lafayette meeting these goals?
SW: The one thing I’d add to that is that I do see that the people in the community do accept the differences while in Lafayette in particular. While this is a wealthy community, there is recognition of the people that are struggling in apartments, and they do so because they want their kids to go to the absolute best schools in the County, in Northern California, and we see them in the library all the time. We see seniors on a fixed income, you know, and I see the people in this community working towards the library that recognize that that’s the central place that all of these wealthy people co-mingle with those that are struggling a bit because the library has something to offer everybody.
MM: So what was your, I mean, had you ever been to the Lafayette Library before you were trained? Okay, so talk about what your first impression of this little library was.
SW: I loved it. I came here for a Teen Services meeting. It was a Bay Area Teen Services meeting years before I came here, and I thought it was, I had a devil of a time trying to find it. I had a hard time trying to find the entrance. I think I went past it at least twice. But when I walked in, my impression was how cheerful and happy the Children’s area was, and that was certainly true when I came in as acting, but I loved it. I loved the brightness. It is brighter than a lot of older libraries, clean, and certainly when I began work here, I was so impressed over the organization of the library. Not all are like this, where if I need to find a book on a shelf, it’s there, and it’s in the right order. It’s impressive.
MM: That’s good. How do you feel a library serves a community?
SW: Well, libraries are evolving. I mean, they’re not just about books anymore. They are that third place that people go to, and we see it more and more where people aren’t necessarily coming in to get a book or a book on tape or a DVD. They come in with their own stuff. They come in with their own newspapers, their own hobby, and we watch them sit here all day because it feels good to be surrounded by people. And sometimes they people watch, but most of the time they’re busy doing their own thing. I mean, it’s a gathering place. It absolutely is. And certainly serving the community in terms of the programming that we provide. I think it will be true this year as it was last year, where the Lafayette Library provides more programs for adult, teens and children than any other library in the county, and we’re proud of that. And we have brought thousands and thousands of people in here because they want to learn something new. And it’s fascinating. So, and also, you know, it’s louder now. We do have some older people say, this is not the library I grew up in, it’s too loud. And yet, how could you not love moms and dads sitting on the rug in the children’s area reading a story to their kids, and they’re not worried about how loud it is. It’s, that’s where it’s at. That’s what we’re here for.
MM: Well, I think the new library is going to be neat, too, because there will be more areas.
SW: Separated.
MM: Good people, especially, we’re going to be up in that new, where they’ll be closer to the senior. I mean, they’ll be so close that they can come and sit in a nice chair and have a good coffee and read.
SW: Yes.
MM: And just be there.
SW: And just be there.
MM: Yep. Okay. I’m going to skip the library from the 40s and ’62. And let’s talk about this new library that we’re building. Now, do you know, you weren’t here, so you probably don’t know too much about that early study in 1996. I don’t know if you do or not.
SW: No. I mean, well, only what I’ve read.
MM: Okay.
SW: And I am aware that there was a vision task force. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to be in on that.
MM: We got the hot tub anyway, so it’s okay.
SW: Yeah, that was good.
MM: And then, I mean, obviously…
SW: And I do know how it all came about. Okay. Roger Falcone.
MM: So why is the new library important to you? This is redundant, but.
SW: Well, the new, our new library is part guinea pig and part model to the future for both the County and Northern California and the United States. So that I, so that’s why it’s important to me.
MM: Now, you weren’t in on the inception, but you’ve been very active in the development of the library. And why is that, you know, why is that?
SW: Where are you?
MM: I’m right.
SW: Why do I want to participate in its development?
MM: Yeah.
SW: Well.
MM: You sort of have to, I know, but. They didn’t ask you, they told you.
SW: I guess I’ve always had this philosophy that I’d rather be the chief than the Indian, that I, that I do feel like I can bring something to it. I, you know, it’s funny, I, I think every day about the new library and, you know, I’m trying to get as much done before we get so busy with the actual moving and, and what have you. So when I, when I think about opening the new library, I’m partly so excited. I think it’s just going to be so much fun. But I’m also worried because the operation of the library falls directly on my head. But having said that, I never feel as though I’m alone. I mean, I have my administration, I have amazing foundation people and volunteers in the community who will make it happen.
MM: So you first got involved when you moved here. And so what kinds of roles have you played? I know you’ve been on a lot of committees.
SW: I can’t remember all the committees. I’ve been on a lot of Lafayette committees as well as a lot of County library committees. And some of my pet ones are, of course, the new technology that we will have in the new library and what we would like to have in the future. The RFID radio frequency identification technology and the sorting machine technology are something we are going to have. But, but we also are looking forward to assistive technology, which is another one of my pet projects. And hopefully inviting people from throughout the County. Because I think with our new library, we really can’t be thinking just in terms of Lafayette. We’re definitely a resource for the entire County and beyond for people of disabilities. You know, we need to be at, we want to be the gateway.
MM: That’s great. What have you enjoyed the most in participating in this whole new library project?
SW: What I’ve enjoyed the most about the whole project, I think, are the people. You know, as I said, how loving and welcoming they are. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it quite like that before. That everybody is very supportive. It’s personal. I do take it personally. I remember when the Sheriff’s Department decided that they no longer wanted to contract out for library services in the jail. I was, and so I lost my job. But then went to a public library in the County. And, but I was walking down the hall and I must have looked kind of sad. And this one deputy stopped me and he said, Susan, you know, why are you so bummed out? It’s just a job. But it’s not just a job. Everybody takes it personally. I certainly do. This is, being, being involved in this is, a dream of mine. I can’t believe how lucky I am.
MM: Well, how lucky we are. Now, were there obstacles in this process of our new library? And if there were, I mean, I don’t know whether you had obstacles, but, you know, what happened and how did they? Obstacles.
SW: I don’t think there’s anything major.
MM: Okay. Who have you observed making a real impact on the library? Any particular people who stood out and why?
SW: Mm-hmm. Well, I would say Mary McCosker, Kathy Merchant, Gwen Lennox, Linda Peterson. All the people that, Maria Hjelm, and then hundreds and hundreds of other people. Obviously, Steve Falk has played a huge role. Anne Meredith. Anne Cain. Those are my heroes. Laura O’Donoghue.
MM: Yep. What are your best memories of your involvement? You know, what was fun? What was rewarding in terms of this process as it’s been going along? Anything that jumps out?
SW: Uh-huh. A couple of things. Well, the hard hat tour, just because it gets so exciting. And it’s emotional, too. Both times on both hard hat tours, I felt like I teared up.
MM: It’s like being pregnant, sort of.
SW: I know. And then watching the people that I work with, the existing library staff, and the way that they’re coping with, we have more things to do to prepare for the new library in terms of our collection. And that’s huge when you think about 60,000-plus items that we’re touching, plus running the library of a very busy library, just doing all of that, and working with people that are so organized, so dedicated, have such ownership, and they do it with joy.
MM: That’s cool. Okay, I don’t know what the next one means. Have you noticed any kind of transformation in the community concerning the new library? Has the community changed, or from your observation?
SW: I don’t think I have a history to really answer that fully. I just will say that ever since I got here two and a half years ago, we see people in the library all the time talking about the new library, and parents raising their kids up so they can look at the model, and then coming over to us and saying, I can’t believe how fast it’s going, and I can’t wait for it, and I want to volunteer, I want to volunteer. So people everywhere are so aware of it. It’s surprising that we haven’t had more accidents on the road next to it.
MM: Here’s a no-brainer. Have you seen an increase in community involvement?
SW: Yeah, well, yeah, like I said,
MM: Yeah, okay. And what’s most exciting to you about this new library? Do any ideas or words or activities? What would you say about that?
SW: Well, I would say beginning the programming with the Consortium Partners. That is something that no other library has ever seen before, and I think it’s going to bring people in in droves. I really do. It’s huge.
MM: And why do you think the people of Lafayette have responded to this project so enthusiastically, even though only 6% have donated? That’s what I heard at the last board meeting, I thought. It’s a very small number.
SW: No, I thought it was 40%.
MM: Okay, I don’t know. Maybe at the end of this, I just had that number stick in my mind.
SW: I think because of the way that this library is going to be organized, I think because it is truly a learning center, because it truly will have something for everybody that will have a homework center. You know, this community is all about education. And to get key organizations in the building together, to having City Council meetings, to having the Art and Science Foundation, the Art and Science Discovery Center, all of that, put it all together with programming, and how could you not be excited?
MM: What outcome do you hope for most with the new library? What do you look forward to as a librarian or just as a library user?
SW: I hope that the library is jam-packed every day. And I hope that the staff will survive that. I hope the sorting machines don’t break down. And I hope, and I’m sure this is going to happen, that I hope that we can just carry on the ambiance and the tradition of library service the way we have it now in our small library, and we’ll carry it over to this amazingly popular, active, busy, brand-new place. But we’ll still have friendly staff and customer service, because that’s the kind of people that we are.
MM: It was said that the Internet would kill the printed word, and libraries would become obsolete. How will our new library avoid such a fate?
SW: Well, because libraries have already changed, because we’ve seen that even in our old library, because of programming, because of emphasis on education, because of the services that we provide online with our virtual library and our databases, because of outreach to all the schools that we do and service organizations, because it’s noisier than it ever was before, and that’s a good thing. And in the new library in particular, with our Teen Room and our Teen programming that we’ll be gearing up for, we’ve already made that transformation. And, you know, harking back to, it’s a wealthy community, but not everybody’s got a computer. We’ll have lots more resources for those that don’t have.
MM: That’s great. Brenda Hepler, who’s the lady who came up with this oral history idea, sort of coined this phrase, “Libraries, or Communities build Libraries, but Libraries build Community”. And so, how do you think this library will better enhance our sense of community?
SW: I think because of our programming. One of our dreams is, just for an example, one of our dreams is to have a series of programs on learning disabilities, on autism. And when we have those series of programs, we’re bringing people together who are suffering maybe by themselves. We can not only give them information, education, and resources, but we also provide them that third thing, which is that they can meet each other. It’s one of the reasons that Story Times are so popular and successful, is that this is an opportunity to build community with young moms that don’t get out as much, and that’s what libraries do. And it’s true for every program that we have. If we have a series of programs on Art, we’re bringing art lovers together and building a community that way.
MM: We’ve sure attracted a lot of different groups with those, at least Sweet Thursdays. I mean, we get a different, it’s kind of cool.
SW: It is very cool.
MM: Is there anyone else you think we should contact for an interview? I mean, everybody probably already did, but just anyone you can think of? I mean, probably everybody who you think of.
SW: Well, we’re getting Donna. She’s a terrific resource, too, and very articulate. You know, when I think about this library, I think of the faces of the library. I’m not necessarily that, because I’m pretty much in the office. But I think of Donna as being a face of the Lafayette Library, and I think Robi is, too.
MM: She is. She is. So maybe interview Robi?
SW: Mm-hmm.
MM: R-O-B-B-I-E or R-O-B-I?
SW: R-O-B-I.
MM: Okay. She’s been here a long time.
SW: She’s been here 13 years, 12 years, something like that.
MM: Okay. Anything else you want to say? Anything you’d like to add?
SW: Except we’re all excited.
MM: Yep, we are. But as I say, we have to go through labor first before we have the baby.
SW: Yeah. Exactly.
MM: But at least it’ll be in summer, so, we hope. But you’ll have to start soon, though.
SW: Mm-hmm.
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