TINA STEVENS has loved the library for as long as she can remember, and it all started with her mother.
“My mother showed us how important reading and the library were,” she said. “She was always reading a book or magazine.”
Stevens’ mother was a fine artist and once traded an original painting for a copy of “Gone With the Wind” at a hardware store.
“Of the many items lost among years of traveling, she sacrificed many things, but not that,” Stevens said.
Her family explored the country during her childhood, but by age 10, they settled in Franklin County.
“When arriving in a new town, Mama always looked for the library,” she said. “When we settled here, she was delighted to find there was a county library… I still have my original Franklin County Library paper library card with the metal insert for the charge machine.”
The first book that got her “hooked” on reading was J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
“I was in middle school at the time,” she said. “Little did I know that book was the beginning of a life’s passion.”
Still, she didn’t know she was to become an established and beloved county library director — yet.
A couple of decades later, Stevens began a career in education with the HeadStart program, then worked at a preschool. She climbed the ladder from a teacher’s aide to an administrator. And in 2006, she began taking night classes working toward a career as a teacher.
Stevens made friends with the Franklin County Library Youth Service Director during this time. She would review books for the library and help with summer reading programs. In late 2007, the youth services director stepped down from her position and encouraged Stevens to apply.
“Some friends encouraged me and said, ‘yes, you would be perfect for this job,’” she said. “I was intimidated because I grew up using that library and had a lot of respect for the ladies that worked there, and, well, I just didn’t feel I met muster.”
Despite her hesitancy, Stevens applied for the job. The library director at the time, Diane Krauth, felt Stevens was qualified and gave her the opportunity.
“My mother was so proud,” Stevens said. “I don’t believe that as the U.S. President, I would have made her any prouder. That’s how much she loved the library and the library ladies.”
During her first few years at the library, Stevens continued attending classes. But when it came time to pick a major, she realized how much she loved being the Franklin County Library Youth Services Director and decided to stay. With the support of Krauth and other library team members, she absorbed as much as possible about library science.
“I’m very passionate about what we do,” Stevens said. “We connect people with services and programs in the community, such as food and nutrition programs, healthcare, housing, clothes for a job interview, job searching, homework help… too much to list. We connect them to free online courses, learning a language, tracing family history, and planning a trip; I mean, it runs the gambit of what we do. Franklin County has a true treasure of talented, kind, and professional library staff to whom I am grateful every single day.”
After serving as the Franklin County Library Director for 34 years, Krauth retired. Stevens applied to fill the position and was chosen to become the Franklin County Library Director in 2016. Krauth and Stevens remain close. They meet once a month at the library for the library’s Bookies Book Club.
“I feel so blessed that she gave me a chance and allowed me to realize a dream,” Stevens said. “I look to her, still, for guidance. Diane saw the library through two additions. She brought the library online. She integrated and digitized the library catalog. I have no doubt that I would not be where I am without her example, leadership, and friendship.”
Always reading and learning, Stevens still spends 60-80 hours a year on continued education. Her mission from the beginning has been to tell the library’s story — to let people know what an incredible resource it is.
“We change lives every single day,” Stevens said. “The library changed mine! I’m building on the heritage of successful women who have led the library. Strong women who wanted to make a difference in their community, knowing that literacy is at the epicenter of success. No matter what one does in life, literacy in all forms, is key. Though we were poor financially, most of the time, Mama told us we could be anything we chose, and she knew reading would help us get there.”
Recently, a woman who came into the library needed help printing something. The library team assisted her with the computer. To the lady’s surprise, she could do more than she thought.
“Someone told her she was too old to learn, so she just stopped,” Stevens said. “So the team encouraged her, just like my friends encouraged me all those years ago. There is no telling what she will go on to learn and do. Her life has changed course for the better simply because the public library was there, and the staff was willing to go above and beyond. You know, she may not become a millionaire, but guess what? She might.”
The library in and of itself is a celebration of women’s empowerment. It was started nearly 100 years ago by a local group of businesswomen, and it has been successfully run by women ever since. Had there not been a string of empowered and supportive women to encourage and lead Stevens, it’s hard to say if she’d be in this position. But who knows? She might.
“We’re changing lives every day,” she said. “And that’s why we stay.” GN
