The director of the Hollison Library is writing some new chapters. Let's meet Jeff Smith. So Jeff, here you are. You're about six months into this job now, but we're all curious. What attracted you to Hollist? Why are what's going on?
>> Well, Chris, thanks for having me today. So, it's joyful to be here in Hollist. The bright and beautiful snow on a >> cold day. Yeah, >> cold day, warm hearts. >> That's right. >> Um, so Hollist, my gosh, I started my career in Newton many years ago. And
during that time, I worked in all 12 branch libraries. So Newton has a big central library. They circulate thousands of books every day. But in those days, I got to go to each little neighborhood and I just love the small library, the small town feel
>> and I just got to know some of the patrons pretty well. So when I came to Hollist it reminded me of those days. >> Oh that's that's a great connection. But in between then you had some interesting um career arcs. Tell me a little more. >> So after Newton I was at the Episcopal
Divinity School in Harvard Square and then from there I was library director for 35 years in NIT at the Walnut Hill School. >> Oh that's that's very unique and a very artoriented kind of uh place. Yeah. And
just up the hill, just up the way around the Morse Institute, I also worked there as a reference librarian. Okay. >> And then 25 years at Middle Sex School. I'm proud to be wearing the Middle Sex tie bow tie. >> Very nice. Very fetching. Yeah. >> But I'm psyched to be in the public sphere again. It was it was really nice
to be in a prep school for a long time and working with research with students. >> But the uh patrons are so engaged at Hollist. just really excited to be doing that and working with all ages basically from like zero to 90. >> Yep. Well, um certainly you've been very
busy and I've been impressed with some of the numbers you've come up with because uh let's go into some of that. Like, uh we're we're a lot bigger in so many ways than I would think. What um total circulation uh is what?
>> So, of you count everything, it's about 200,000 items. that circulate out of Hollist library. >> 35,000 inter library loans that come and go. So we circulate a lot and share to the whole Minute Man system >> but we borrow a lot too. So basically
what that means is you can get whatever you want within a day. >> And uh of those 200,000 about 120,000 are physical books and about 50,000 are ebooks and audio books. Mhm. So is there a trend in in the circulation that
you've been able to find? >> So I see there is an increase in our use of Hoopla, which is what we use for um ebooks and audio books as well as Libby that's provided through the Minute Man system, but Hoopla is townowned and that's every month it's going up. A lot
of it's driven by teen use and they can get graphic novels, magazines, movies, uh ebooks, audiobooks, um a ton of things, magazines, everything. >> Yeah. And that's all free. >> All free for you. Yeah, you pay for it and and it's available free and you just
click on it and you get what you want. >> Yeah, that's a great uh great platform I think. Yeah. >> Hoopla, Libby, and Canopy are all three um digital resources that we that we provide. Canopy is strictly movies, a lot of independent films. >> Yeah. What other numbers are interesting
when uh about us? >> So, I find that a lot of our um patrons love James Patterson. I had never read James Patterson, but we have shelves and shelves and shelves devoted to mystery and all sorts of different genres that he produces. >> And so that's a that's a trend, if you
will. >> Yeah. >> But um we also have a new library of things that's increasing use. >> Okay. What is what's in the library of things? What is that? >> So if you want to borrow something to make a pie, you can do that. Um we have stargazing. We have uh we we have ways
to measure and fix your car. Um, I had I had a a stud finder that I brought home and >> Oh, that's helpful. >> Yeah. So, all sorts of things. >> That's That's something new that we >> It just got started like right before I came. I can't take credit for it, but um it was I was excited to see that we already had one.
>> Yeah. Good to know. Good to know. Um the um the other number that I had noticed was that we've got uh 8,200 people attended programs at the library. So, a lot of that is driven by every day we have um we have story hour at least
once a week and we also have um drop in playdates. We get 10 to 15 people at a time. Those are going two or three times a day all the time. There's just so we just we bought a new door counter walking and so you can So, we're actually counting about 300 people a
day. 250 of those people come in through the lower level into the children's room and many come upstairs. But there's a lot of activity downstairs every single day >> as you'd think there would be in our town with lots of families. Yeah. >> Yeah. And a great collection. >> Yeah. What's except what's good about
the children's room? I don't go there anymore. So what what's the hot thing there? Is it >> So all right. So there's there's so much. So we have these new Tony's and we have a lot of new things that the a Tony will you can put a little um little character like a like a a line king on
it and it will read to you. So it's kind of fun. >> Wow. We have Playaway books you can open up and they'll read to you. So, a lot of digital resources that way. Little little um tablets that kids can play with. But the collection is impressive. It really is um significant. We
circulate 77,000 children's books every year. We have a huge area for them to play in. Uh the Gilman room used to be more adultoriented and now it's really turned over to the kids and then we we take it back for programming when we need it. >> Right. Right. Yeah. Okay. Um, so, uh,
most popular, um, how do we compare to some of the other places you've been with? >> Right. So, I was looking at stats before I came in at other So, by comparison, the biggest library in the state is the Boston Public Library. So, they circulate about I'd say about a million
books and and five million ebooks. >> So, that's a hundred times the number of ebooks, but they're serving the whole state. >> Sure. And if you think that we're we're circulating 200,000 versus a million books, you know, it's only I don't know five 10 times. So it's it we we're we're
in the mix. I would say I looked at Welssley, they're about 500,000 books a year. >> So you know, it's we're not the smallest, we're not the biggest. We're sort of in the sweet spot. >> Okay. I would think. No, that's good to know. Yeah. Yeah. We're a very active library for our small size physically.
>> Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> Absolutely. You can see that in the numbers and also just the day-to-day interest and the people. It's just all it's a busy place >> and that's why I love it. >> Yeah, that's cool. Um, what So, now that you're here, have you got some strategic
priorities that you you'd like to to work on? Uh, >> so what I'm >> What's your goals? What are some of your goals? Yeah. >> Right. So, what I'm thinking a lot about is collaboration with other departments. And if you had talked to me three months ago, I was looking at the high school.
I've been uh going out to the senior center they called the center a few times and talking to them about memory care. Um I talked to the high school librarian about research. Um talked with the historical society a lot about uh the fact that we're 250 years from the
uh Declaration of Independence. So thinking about ways to um highlight those things over with programming and uh >> and working with you. Yeah. Well, great. Well, they have the historical society of course has its own collection of books and u manuscripts too. Um so that
would be that's interesting to maybe access some of those things from your uh experience. Now working with the high school uh tell me a little bit more about how that can benefit our students. U so when I was up there I saw a lot of activity in the
middle school and and it was fun to be up at the high school. Um, and the, uh, the thing I was really trying to promote was the BPLE card. And you can go on our website and it'll say digital resources and you can just drop down, click it. Uh, it's free for anyone, but I would
say for the average researcher and for, um, high school researcher in particular, uh, it provides Jtore, Congressional Quarterly, Credto Reference, things that you can't get any other way. Um, they're pretty expensive. Um, we do provide Gail resources, but
there's an issue with funding there a little bit. >> But the BPL has a full array of of resources that I've used extensively over the last 25 years with students. So, I would really encourage students to go and just it's free available. Click on it and they're there. They're there
and it includes, you know, the New York Times, Boston Globe. So, you know, there's some instruction with sort of getting into it, but there's a lot of help in like how to site the sources. And so what was the reaction how to the um to those ideas with the librarian?
Are they going to sort of expand the students knowledge about this resource? >> Right. So I was really happy to work with Seth Colder. I think he's doing a great job up there and um he's also at the middle school. So he's got two jobs >> and um we're you know we're thinking
alike. He has access to all of that. So then now it's his job to sort of share it. I think one of the best ways to do it is to work with the teachers and get them to use it. Once they're using it, then they can they can explain to the students in their classrooms how to access those resources. >> So, if I'm going to write a a a paper on
um uh history or politics, um my teacher would say, you know, you would really get a lot of original research if you use your BPL access to do that. So, right, that's kind of the example. >> Yeah. And any of those three that I mentioned like congressional quarterly
or credo reference or jstore is incredibly deep in terms of it's available. >> Well, this is a whole level of uh of expertise that you know our students can be expound you know exposed to. >> That's awesome. >> I want to also give a shout out. We have an intern um her name is Jillian. She's
been working for us for the last three months and she's been she and I sat down and looked at it and she's like I'm going to bookmark everything and use them when I go to college. So >> cool. Great. That's >> and I reminded her in college you'll have even more. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Um so what other uh
so you've got the research. Um what other kinds of uh you know priorities or goals do you have? >> Well you may have seen we had write up in the town pages recently. Yeah. And uh we have a new teen zone. So that was really fun to do. like it was sort of I
could see um a need cuz the some of the young tween and teens were using some of our computers on the main floor to play games. They have every right to do that. We welcome them. >> Yeah. >> But sometimes they can be in the way of other adult researchers and sort of, you know, just a whole different, you know,
buildup of who's accessing what, >> right? So I saw upstairs we have the mezzanine level upstairs and I was working with James Kee and we had this idea if we put a glass wall up there and put a couple of bean bag chairs a few new brand new computers for them called
it the teen zone it wouldn't cost that much and they'd have like a dedicated space that they can call their own. Well we did it and it was really popular. >> Awesome. That's great. So you can look up there and you can see the kids all you know enjoying that whole area on their own. >> Yeah, exactly. They're in there. We can
see what they're doing, but it's their space. >> Exactly. >> But there's also a need for like quiet study spaces as well. And I was over at Newton just last week and they have these things called the Nook and you can just they're they're very quiet. They're surrounded. You have your own lighting, seating, and I'm kind of interested in in making that available as well.
>> H So we'd be buying some of these little pods >> kind of like a pod. Yeah. Yeah. So that's like one of the things in the future. >> Cool. Well, that that would be very because I think what you're trying to we do have a strategic plan from 2024, I guess,
>> but you're trying to make some of that work with what we have already. Is that what you're >> right? Make the most of what you have. And so, what we have is a relatively small library in a tight space with not much room for expansion, but there are things that you can do within that
space. So, we were talking about like building a foyer out downstairs that would make it easier to walk in. and it doesn't give a blast of cold air. Maybe a little garden terrarium down there. >> Uh moving some of the uh browsing shelves to make those a little easier. Nice reading space. I'd love to move the
computers in the center uh possibly to give more room for programming space upstairs that could easily move out. So, we do have receptions up there. We've had musicians and all sorts of things, but with the computers right in the middle, it's sort of hard to see someone. So, we'd have to figure that out. Everything's hardwired. It's all
connected to Minute Man. It's not an easy task. So, these things are going to take time, but there are things we can do with the space we have. >> That's good to hear. That's great. Yeah. Uh, so you're partnering with a lot of organizations. You've partnered you're talking to historical society, the the
uh the high schools. Um, what other what other kind what is what other kinds of things would you like to see? >> Well, okay. We need new bathrooms. >> Oh, okay. Definitely. >> Those are those are dated. Um, >> I think they they're from the original room uh the original renovation.
>> Two public bathrooms, one in the first main floor and one downstairs. And so they know both need some um I mentioned quiet study areas um shelving, seating, foyer. >> Um one of the real issues is parking. Like it's a beautiful small town library
and is great if you can walk there. Anyone who lives in Mudville, the schools are walkable, but for people that need cars, it's a challenge. So, there are two spaces out front. They're not dedicated to the library. They're just town spaces, parking spaces, and everything else is owned by the vendors
around us and who very kindly allow us >> to use parking. >> But we have to depend on the kindness of our neighbors. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's always been a a drawback of our location, but there's a lot of positives to that location. So, uh hopefully we'll we'll figure out a
way to keep it there for a while. >> We'll see. I don't think we're moving anytime soon, but we are putting out a um survey with the next couple of weeks. >> Tell me more about that. What do you hope to learn from that? >> I'd love to get people's responses. There a bunch of questions about how we
can serve you better and just uh you know all the services that we provide, what you what how you prioritize that, how you get your information, uh what we could do better, just rating our service right now. And then there is an important question about ve very very
you know stay or go remain or leave like what what what do we want >> and I just want the that feedback um and then there's opport opportunities for people to write in things reasons why so >> you know there's there there are there are places we could go there are spaces
near the middle school there's a space on central street where the water department is we've looked at where the DPW is now there's a there's an old um factory on Exchange Street. So those are places that have more room that are still downtown. >> Um it's just a matter of time and money.
>> Yep. >> It could happen. Um so it's just we have to measure our priorities. >> Sure. That's right. That's right. Well, it sounds like you've got some good some good solutions right now that will help us. Yeah. >> Yep. >> Yeah. Uh what is your definition of a
successful community library? Well, I just I love the fact that we have an engaged public. You know, that people use it. Uh, as you said, families, um, retired people, but everyone really, um, you know, some I've heard like the teens is sort of the lost generation in terms of readers, but I
don't see that when you see the increase of use of the digital resources. Um, >> they are they're they're they're there. We see them. So, you know, look, there's a lot of demands on a teenager's time in terms of sports and afternoon activities
and families all know about, you know, driving their kids around to all sorts of different things. So, it's hard to find time to read, but I just I I do see Hollist as a reading community, at least as I interact with people in the library. >> Well, I know that you support probably what 20 book groups.
>> Oh my gosh. Yeah, exactly. So, three of them are sponsored by the library. The morning book club, the history book club, >> and there's one other, >> the mystery. >> The mystery book club. You got it. >> Yeah. >> But you're right. There's like 18 more. And we provide books for all of those. We get them from the the Minute Man
system. We have a dozen books for each book club. They're all available for free. You just come in, ask, take out your book, and uh we're we're open to help that. Yeah, that was something that really sets us apart from some other libraries, I think, where that service of, you know, supporting book groups, >> right?
>> And just again a shout out to our staff. Taylor is amazing in providing that. Katherine is amazing in the children's room. There is so many opportunities to she's just very welcoming. So, I just want >> We do have a great staff. Uh and we also have um a nice uh the adult programming
has really taken off, I think. >> And that's a tribute to Taylor. >> Yeah. Yeah. She's she's got a great handle on what people want to see >> and Jen has got her fingers on the teens and the young adults, too. So, >> yeah. Well, you're lucky. You got these great >> crack team. And Amy, she's amazing with
her. She We couldn't function without her. All the cataloging, all the behind the scenes. People just think it just appears magically. >> It's not like that. >> No. No, it doesn't. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, so let's talk a little bit about you. I like to call this part the um I
don't know, up close and personal, I guess. So, let's get to know Jeff a little better. Like, what's your favorite food? >> All right. So, my wife Natasha is uh makes this stuffed cabbage called halupi that I love. >> Um yesterday was her birthday
>> and I stopped at Gaitanos and got cheesecake for her she loved. >> Uh we got some Mexican food together. So, we've done a lot of traveling. She is more of the uh the gastronomy expert, but >> Okay. >> So, I'm I'm lucky. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, you'll ethnic food.
You're you're into that then. Yeah. Good. What's your favorite place in Hollist if you have one or or >> So, we just had a staff appreciation night at Guilford's uh Rushford's Rushford and Suns >> and um we're also going to do a trivia night there coming up at the end of
February that everyone's welcome to. >> You mean like a library trivia night? >> Yes. So, library themed trivia and it's going to be a fundraiser with the friends of the library. You can you can if you want donate $5 to a kitty. You can uh we'll we'll it'll be a fundraiser in various ways. Fiddle and find is
often offered to do a to give a certificate and uh you know so we're getting great support from from Rushfords. But uh the more people the better. Uh the friends are helping us. So I love Rushfords. We just had a staff appreciation night there and >> yeah they're making a difference in
people's uh in people's meeting areas. That's great. >> I love the rail trail. I've been I've bumped into you at Padama. I know we were walking there. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot here. I'm glad you're exploring it. That's that's super. >> Um so do you uh where do you live? You
don't live in house. >> So I drive out from Waltham. >> Okay. >> Um I was in conquered and prior to that we lived in Brooklyn. >> But um it's so it's really easy to get here. You just hop on the Mass Pike right from my house and then when I go home it's right down 16 the whole way. Get to Newton and I'm home. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's not a
bad ride. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great town. And I think you had um you did some research on your house once. What was that? Uh the deed of your house. Did you have to research that some? >> Yeah. So I used Ancestry to find um so the previous owners and we were trying
to like figure out something about the title of the house. So there was, you know, did we really own the driveway or not? We do own the driveway, but we had to, you know, work through that. And that was interesting to find like the background, >> right? Oh, I just thought of something else. Tell me about the um the law. Um
the court the court opportunity right that is explain that to us. >> Yes. Yes. So you were asking a a couple of new services since I started. One was a notary service. >> Right. Jen is now a notary. >> Jen is now a notary. So she got professional development to do that and she's been amazing. We have you can log
into the website to schedule an to get your any item notorized. There are things we can and can't do. We can't do real estate. Uh we can't notoriize um passports. But pretty much everything else um you come in with a good attitude and and ask her and she's she's there to help. So
>> she's the best. Yeah. >> Um so we have a notary and one of the things I was working it's it's the trial court uh law library in Lowel and it was it's called the public library initiative to provide court service in a library. So, if you don't have access to electronics or a laptop or if you need
access to Zoom, we can provide a study space, headphones, a quiet, private place for you to log in, get you connected to your court, and uh it seems like a really great opportunity. >> Wait, so you can go to court from the library? >> Yes. So, a lot of people now do remote
court. >> Okay. >> And so, you can just go to you can actually appear like you have traffic court, you can go through Zoom. We will provide the technology and the privacy to enable you to do that. >> Oh, that's very interesting. Yeah. But that's a great service for a senior
citizen or someone who can't doesn't drive or or Yeah. >> or just doesn't have the technology available to them and needs a little help. We'll get you there. >> Yeah. >> Jeeoff, that's amazing. That's great. So yeah, it's and these things a lot of them come just available through I check
out websites and you know look what other directors are doing >> and uh you know like we can do that and the thing is I don't want to over burden my staff with all these new initiatives but they've been really amazing the attitude is how can we serve how can we do better
>> okay okay back to you um what kind of books do you like to read >> so I was thinking about this you had talked about it to me earlier and Um, there's a there's like books I'm reading now. I'm a voracious reader. How can you choose any favorite book or books that
were, you know, instrumental to guiding you in your life like as a young person? >> Oh, yeah. >> So, in terms of like an early book that I really loved, I there's this book called The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I was about 12 when I read it and it's about, you know, a young man who his title is assistant pigkeepers.
He's very he's an orphan. He's very humble, but he's a young man with a destiny, you know. So I that was I loved that. Um it's was it's like Welsh mythology >> and so that was a lot of fun. Um
then another book uh right now is uh that I just finished was called The Boys in the Light and it's a World War II um memoir but it's written by the daughter of someone who survived Ashvitz >> and he was saved really by a tanker crew
that came through and it goes through their their lives how this tanker crew found him where they came from. One of them was from Waltham, one of them was from Minnesota and they came and bonded together as a band of brothers. And I've seen that story before, but this is told by the daughter of the person who
wouldn't have survived without them. >> Yeah. >> So it gave like this personal connection. It was really moving and and it was local in some ways. >> Right. Exactly. Yeah. Um where do you like to you've traveled a lot. Where would you where have you been and where would you like to travel? What's your
you know dream travel? >> Right. So I made some notes about that because there's so many places. >> Um as you know I lived in Greece for a year. I worked at the college of Thessalaniki for a year and there was a research librarian. So that was a sbatical year. It was really an amazing
opportunity. I got to meet a lot of people. >> Um Middle Sex provided a lot of opportunities for travel and uh professional development. So, one year I got to go to Chiapas in southern Mexico to study uh the Mayans with Yale University.
>> Okay. >> Um one year we went to all throughout China as a chaperon for a school trip. Another year, there's a company called There Be Dragons, and we were sent as a um a group of teachers to explore Bali
and and other places in Indonesia, including a floating town where the people like they're known as like under under the sea people. They can hold their breath, most of them, for more than five minutes. >> Oh, yeah. >> And so we got to live with them for a couple of weeks. Um
>> Did you have to hold your breath? >> No. No. But um it was cool. It was built on stilts and over and and the the sea would wash out and they could just glean from the sea and pick their food just off the right there. >> Right. >> Um so that was it was that was amazing.
>> That's culture. >> Um I've got to travel through, you know, Egypt, Israel, Greece, uh Lebanon, Russia, all through the Balkans. How has that informed sort of your
picture of a little small community like this? You know, all that travel. I think that would give you an interesting perspective. >> In a way, this is like a new adventure. Okay. >> To be here like that's >> um another one of the your questions you
were talking me about was movies. And um one of my favorite movies is was Star Wars. again that kind of 12-year-old kind of like what it was just like whoa blew my mind. But you can teach film history just with that one film. There's so many references to like Japanese
films and World War II films, but again like The Book of Three, it's about a young man who is >> finds adventure and finds a way to make the world a better place. So that's kind of what I want to do here. >> All right, that's great. Well, Jeeoff, I can't wait to see what helps how it
happens and thank you so much for talking to us. It's exciting and so happy to see you. It's great. Hope we do it again. >> We will. Thanks. >> So for Hollist Heartbeat of Hollist, um I'm Chris Oallis. Thank you.