’Nothing like Richland Library’: Artists, entrepreneurs find community beyond bookshelves
When Heather McCue learned of the opportunity to join the Richland Library team, she jumped at the chance.
“I’d always known that when you talk about the libraries in our states, Richland Library (has) just always been really thoughtful and really intentional and really willing to take risks,” said McCue, who formerly worked in Spartanburg County but left the Upstate for the Midlands because of the library’s reputation.
More than 15 years later, McCue has taken on a new role as the library’s children and teen services manager, where she has pushed going beyond books to foster growth among the younger population.
Another part of her position, McCue says, is ensuring the library is accessible to all.
Much of the library’s expansion came as a result of a $59 million bond referendum in 2013 to pay for enhancing Richland Library locations. Since then, Richland Library’s 13 locations have grown to offer a variety of services to address community needs.
Awards have followed, as recently as the 2017 National Medal for Museum and Library Service — an award only 10 institutions win annually.
Offering creative spaces and equipment to area artists and entrepreneurs has been one of the library’s more serious endeavors. Although library locations differ on what is available, creative studios and the Library of Things — a collection of equipment available for check out at the Richland Library Main on Assembly Street — are two popular options for local creatives.
That’s not to say Richland Library doesn’t have its sights set on engaging the community in reading anymore.
Hosted by the Richland Library Friends and Foundation, the Summer Book Sale will open to the public on July 23, with around 30,000 used books, movies and CDs available for purchase.
The book sale will be at Richland Library Operations Center, where prices for paperback books start at $1 and hardbacks start at $2. The sale is part of a series of seasonal book sales put on every year, generating more than $70,000 annually in support of the library.
“I always think we are great for surprising people,” McCue said. “We have services and collections that I think are surprising for our customers, which we love.”
Breaking down those barriers
Centered around “Library as Studio” — a concept that views libraries as a place for artists and visionaries to work — Richland Library’s artistic ventures have taken inspiration from other library systems, like Rangeview Library System in Colorado or Orange County Library’s Melrose Center for Innovation and Technology in Florida.
Two library members at the forefront of pushing this initiative are arts and media manager Mary Kate Quillivan and arts and media assistant manager Kelsey Andrus.
Quillivan isn’t an artist, but said she’s “art-adjacent” and an “artist wrangler,” with many friends and family members involved in the arts.
She trained as a librarian, serving as a film and sound and project librarian before coming into her new role with the library. Now, she works on facilitating art spaces, most notably through their makerspace and studios.
“We deal with everything from hobbyists or retirees or people who want to learn a new skill or get together with friends and do something fun,” Quillivan said. “All the way to entrepreneurs who are trying to figure out: Can I make a living off my art?”
A wide variety of studios are available for local creatives at Richland Library Main: a makerspace with wood-working equipment, a production stage for photography and music-making, a post-production lab equipped with video and audio editing software, and a fiberworks studio with sewing and quilting machines.
The studios are also filled with different materials to use, but if a person would like to create something beyond the materials provided, they would need to bring in their own, Quillivan said.
Unlike other spaces in the library, the studios are led by makers — an expert in the art being produced in the studio.
Quillivan sees Richland Library’s studios as a way of providing “equitable access,” by breaking down barriers of cost and technicality issues, by renting out photography equipment and tools.
Andrus said a large portion of people who check things out from the Library of Things are parents, young professionals and retirees.
The Library of Things has aided local entrepreneurs launch businesses on e-commerce website Etsy, including someone who started their own button line by using the library’s button maker, Andrus said.
“It’s entrepreneurial-minded, so a lot of the items that we have there are there because you could theoretically run a business of of it,” Andrus said.
Andrus also facilitates the Seed Library, which is a catalog of seeds, mostly heirloom and organic, available for people to take home. The library uses some funding to purchase seeds in bulk to repackage for library users, allowing Andrus to help curate the seeds.
In an effort to improve access, Quillivan said the library will pilot the Library of Things at another location. She wants to make sure equipment is reachable to all of the county, as Richland Library Main can be a long drive for some who come from communities who are “just as artistic.”
Free assistance is also provided by social workers at Richland Library, including services regarding federal student aid, food vouchers, housing, legal assistance and Medicaid. Building interviewing skills and writing a resume are also services provided at the Business, Careers and Research Center.
“If you’ve been to other public libraries in your hometown, we’re unique for sure,” Quillivan said.
Addressing all learners
Reading isn’t just about learning one skill — it can open the door to a whole array of new skills, McCue said.
“We’re reading to learn, and that may mean reading to learn a new story, to evolve our emotions because reading helps us develop empathy and social emotional skills and helps us build our vocabulary,” McCue said.
Instead of treating reading like “homework,” McCue hopes Richland Library’s annual Summer Reading Challenge highlights it as a “celebration.”
Summer reading challenges are typical programs at libraries, but McCue said Richland Library gives people the opportunity to earn points in three different ways: reading or listening for 30 minutes, attending a library event or exploring a learning opportunity of their choice. Learning opportunities can range from going on a hike to attending a local museum.
Whether it’s reading to their children at home or listening to a podcast, parents have the opportunity to also get points for the challenge.
McCue said adults are an important aspect of the program, because they can choose to participate in Read It Forward, which donates a book to a local nonprofit organization.
After earning 30 points, participants can get a free pass to the Columbia Museum of Art, a free child or teen pass to one Columbia Fireflies game or a $2 off coupon for a book sale with Richland Library Friends and Foundation.
The challenge will run until Aug. 14.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted challenge participation, but with a return to in-person programming, McCue is confident there will be a large turnout, calling it a summer for “joy and connection.”
“It really has been the best,” McCue said, “Our community missed that deeper connection to our library staff, and we’ve missed that with our community.”
Accessibility and inclusivity is something on the forefront of McCue’s mind in her role as children and teen services manager. One aspect is accommodating divergent learning needs for children of different literacy levels or those on the autism spectrum.
Youth Collections also strives to buy books that address diverse topics. Each month, Richland Library puts out a blog post demonstrating the new books Youth Collections received that discuss “race, gender, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and more,” according to their website.
“We want to make sure we are really meeting what our community might want and really drilling down, so it’s not about always what the majority wants, but thinking about how we represent our community and the collection,” McCue said.
