Libraries’ New Chapter: Havens in Times of Crisis

AFTER OPERATING OUT of a double-wide trailer for 40 years, the Kreutz Creek Library in York County, Pa., opened a sleek new building in 2022. But this happy ending had a twist: Now that the library was located a mile outside a small rural town, teens and others without cars couldn’t easily reach it.

Thanks to guidance from a new resource developed by a University of Maryland researcher, Manager Jennifer Johnson joined a countywide coalition seeking transportation solutions—starting as simple as offering rides on social media or using public school vans.

College of Information Professor Mega Subramaniam led the creation of “Centering Community: Library Staff Responding to Crisis” to help libraries better serve their communities amid challenges ranging from natural disasters to social inequities. Developed during COVID-19, an updated version was released in December with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

“Libraries offer far more than books: They provide physical space where people gather, technology for people to use, expertise, information professionals and human connection,” especially critical during crises, Subramaniam says.

Formed through sessions with library teams across the country, the field guide presents strategies for preparing for and responding to emergencies, like building relationships and involving community members in decision-making.

So far, it’s resulted in a variety of successes, from a library in Iowa providing a place to email insurance claim documents after storms to one in New York offering a locker with free hygiene products for youth in need.

“You feel like you’re wearing a toolbelt,” Johnson says. “It’s not just this intellectual exercise. It has very practical applications.”