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Meet Joanne Helouvry, Branch Manager

3/22/2022

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​​By Deborah Mason
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After two challenging years of COVID restrictions and precautions, the Hamilton Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library is fully open to the public, and new Branch Manager Joanne Helouvry is eager to welcome everyone back.  Joanne came to EPFL as the new Branch Manager for the Brooklyn Branch just three weeks before Covid hit, and experienced firsthand the challenges of keeping the library accessible and responsive to the community, while protecting public health and safety.

But this was not her first job at EPFL.  In many ways, Joanne has come full circle:  her first job after getting her BA in French and MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was at the Pratt.  She started in the Telephone Reference section (now Information Services) at the Pratt’s Central Branch, and then in the Social Sciences/History department.  After that, she moved to the Loyola Notre Dame Library where eventually she became Head of Research and Instruction. She earned a post masters certificate in education from Notre Dame University of Maryland.  In 2017, Joanne and her husband took their truck, small camper, and motorcycle for a six-month road trip across the States.  While on the road, Joanne worked on-line as a chat reference librarian, answering questions from several universities simultaneously.  She learned firsthand how difficult it is to get access to the internet:  she used libraries, McDonald’s, coffee shops, anywhere she could go in and use their WiFi for free—or the cost of a cup of coffee.

All of these experiences prepared her for managing a branch in the middle of a pandemic:  expertise in information services, experience in remote working, teaching, and learning, and a keen understanding that digital access is essential for work, study, and play.  But the long period of remote service has made her eager to work with the public face-to-face again.   So, after a reorganization at EPFL brought her to the Hamilton Branch last autumn, she has been happily welcoming library users—even using her fluent French to chat with members of Hamilton’s West African community.

And, as Joanne proudly points out, there is a lot going on now that things are back, well, not to normal, but to the new normal. The newly renovated courtyard is a popular spot for kids of all ages, providing a safe and friendly outdoor space to unwind, play a game, or just enjoy the garden.  In-person programs for all ages have resumed, including story time, art classes, music, yoga, and talks with master gardeners arranged by Donna Ballard, Adult Librarian. “Take and Make” kits, first introduced during the pandemic, are still available, and STEAM activity kits can also be borrowed.  Children’s Librarian Carrie Harnick is planning more on-site programs, and she and Alayna Baron, Teen Librarian, are working with Hamilton Elementary and City Neighbors Hamilton to provide library services to their students.

Joanne is also excited about the library as a social outreach center, providing a safe haven for children after school, while also helping patrons obtain the new necessities of life, including free COVID tests and face masks and even connecting with a social worker or a lawyer. EPFL is also expanding its Chromebook program for kids with a plan for over 1,000 laptops from Dell to be given away.  The library is also collecting and distributing period/menstruation products for disadvantaged individuals, so keep an eye out for ways to contribute!
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Finally, Joanne is grateful to the Friends for their work on the garden and their on-going support for the library.  She encourages the Friends to come up with ideas for interesting programs for the community to engage in and enjoy.  

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Fall Fundraiser Kicked Off at SoHa Market

9/30/2021

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​Our goal this fall is to raise $300 to finish planting the tree pits surrounding the library. Now that the mural has brightened up the exterior and the courtyard renovation is under way, we want the perimeter to look just as nice.  We are halfway to our goal already!
We kicked off on Sunday, September 26, at the Second SoHa Street Market, where we popped up our third used book sale in a prime location in the Kids Zone. The weather was glorious! Our wide selection of children’s books was slim by the end of the day. Quite a few adults walked away with good reads too. And we added new Friends to our ranks! 

Among those stopping by was Joanne Helouvry, recently appointed as the Hamilton Branch manager. She was there to support the Friends, meet library patrons and connect with community leaders. Joanne will be profiled in a future post, but if you stop by the branch and see a new face, be sure to say hello.   
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To help us reach in our goal in time for fall planting, click HERE.  And if you want a car sticker, let us know at friendshamiltonbranch@gmail.com and we’ll drop one in the mail.

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Meet David Payne

9/8/2021

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by Deborah Mason
You may have spotted Interim Branch Manager David Payne at Hamilton, but here’s your chance to learn about his background, the challenges of the last 18 months, and his vision for the Hamilton Branch. Our thanks to Board Member Deborah Mason who sat down with the man behind the book-print mask and authored this profile.   ​
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​The instant Interim Branch Manager David Payne starts to speak you know he’s not from around here.  The London native has lived in the United States for thirty years but has held onto his accent.  After falling in love with a woman from Cleveland, Ohio, David moved there and earned his MLS.  After that, he worked in libraries in Cleveland, Florida, Philadelphia, Frederick County, and Montgomery County.  Eventually, attracted by Pratt’s nationwide reputation for excellence, he arrived in Baltimore to be a Division Group Supervisor overseeing seven branches (Clifton, Reisterstown, Southeast Anchor, Govans, Light Street, Herring Run, and Hamilton).

David didn’t intend to go into library management. He enjoyed working directly with the public and thought his career would continue in that direction.  It was Philadelphia, where he held his first job as branch manager, that changed his mind.  There, he had just about every experience that a Branch manager could expect:  The Great Recession. A centennial celebration.  Budget battles and political networking.  A reputation for having the best library programming in the city.  After Philly, David continued working in library management, mentoring branch managers and overseeing community programs.

By the time he came to Baltimore to be Group Supervisor for Pratt’s Library Services Division, David must have thought he had seen it all. If he did, man, was he wrong.

Almost immediately after arriving in Baltimore, the pandemic hit.  Then, the previous Branch manager at Hamilton left, leaving a leadership hole at one of his branches during a hiring freeze.  All this meant that he had to supervise seven branches of diverse size, population, and location, as well as step into the role of branch manager at one of them, while working within the very narrow confines of COVID restrictions. Yet, what might have been a disaster turned out to be a time of opportunity and optimism. 

David points out that the Enoch Pratt Free Library is a leader in the world of public libraries, and it stepped up to its leadership role by establishing the policies and procedures necessary to safely reopen the libraries. This effort went way beyond wearing masks, washing hands, and practicing social distancing, however.  Staff across the system came up with creative ideas to continue connecting with the community even if they could not enter the library buildings.  WiFi hotspots, curbside delivery, lending Chromebooks, enlarged eBook offerings, Take-and-Make craft kits for kids, ensured that the community had access to the library.  At Hamilton Branch in particular, David oversaw the creation of the mural and the much-needed renovations to the courtyard, creating external connections between the library and the neighborhood.

Pratt’s response to COVID both mirrored and molded David’s view of the three most important roles of a public library.  First, the library serves as a community anchor, a cultural beacon to the neighborhood.  By offering classes, computers, meeting space, and study space, the library acts as a third space:  a community gathering space in a neutral building.  The pandemic forced Pratt to expand this idea to include virtual space, but in doing so, it came face-to-face with the realities of digital inequity.  Digital inequity wasn’t caused by COVID, but it did become more apparent.  To continue being a community anchor, David believes, the library will have to sustain and expand its battle against digital inequity.  This folds in neatly with the second role:  to be a source of accurate and trustworthy information to the community.  David pointed out that libraries are staffed by information specialists, and their skills are essential both now and as we move on from COVID.   The third role was one that David realized as he worked on the mural and courtyard.  These projects brought home to him the importance of the library’s exterior to its mission by providing both a visual link to the community and extra program space.
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Finally, David thanked the Friends for their support over the past year, especially for helping to get the word out about the mural and courtyard.  There are plans in place for more programs, especially for teens.  The branch, he assures us, will get back to business, in the safest way possible.  However, now that the hiring freeze has been lifted, we are likely to have a new branch manager soon, and David will start his new role as Deputy Chief of Neighborhood Services.  We have been extremely lucky to have had such a caring, knowledgeable, and effective interim branch manager, and we wish him every success in the future.

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