UPDATE: Welcoming the New Manager and Suggestions for Improvement

Since this op-ed was originally published, the Lexington Public Library has named a new manager for the Marksbury Family Branch. While I don’t know him to be bilingual, he has been with the library for over two decades, and I and many others hold him in high regard for his dedication and service.

I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to the new manager and wish him the greatest success in his new role. Additionally, I say again that the frontline staff of the Marksbury Library, like all of our public libraries, are dedicated public servants who continue to provide a wide range of excellent services to the community. I understand some of my words have caused them distress, and for this, I sincerely apologize.

At the same time, I reiterate the importance of continued and expanded outreach by management and the library administration to the local Latino community, which has been a core part of the branch's mission since its inception.

In conversations with community members, several suggestions have emerged that could help bridge the current gap in engagement and better serve the diverse needs of the neighborhood:

1. Establish an Advisory Committee: Create a Marksbury Family Branch advisory committee composed of neighborhood residents. This committee would provide ongoing feedback and recommendations to the Board of Trustees, ensuring that the library remains responsive to the community's evolving needs.
2. Offer Optional Paid Language Training: Reintroduce optional paid training for library staff in Spanish and other languages that are increasingly encountered at the library. Many staff members benefitted from LPL-provided Spanish training during the first decade of the Village Library, and similar opportunities could empower staff to better serve all patrons.
3. Reevaluate Hiring Policies: Consider modifying hiring policies for Manager and above positions to require longer external postings. The current administration has expressed difficulties in finding qualified bilingual candidates and hiring externally for managerial roles. However, it’s worth noting that under these current hiring practices, key figures like Betty Abdmishani might never have been hired.
4. Develop a Strategic Plan for Outreach: Invest in developing a strategic plan specifically aimed at ongoing outreach to Lexington's immigrant and ESOL populations. This plan could help ensure that the library remains a welcoming and vital resource for all residents, regardless of their language or background.

I believe these steps would honor the legacy and mission of La Biblioteca Hispana, absorbed by LPL in 2004, while also positioning the Marksbury Family Branch as a leader in community engagement and inclusivity. I look forward to seeing how the library continues to grow and evolve under its new leadership.

Residents are encouraged to voice their support for La Biblioteca Hispana by contacting Heather Dieffenbach or by attending the upcoming board meeting at the Central Library, August 14th at 4:30 pm.

Original Post Follows

The Lexington Public Library’s newest branch is losing its manager. After six years of short-term leadership and long gaps between appointments, the vibrant community once centered around the Village Library has languished. The Library’s administration has an opportunity now to reestablish the previous model of success and honor the commitments they made 20 years ago by hiring a bilingual community leader to helm Village’s replacement, the Marksbury Family Branch.

In 2002, longtime resident and social worker Susy Aparicio, a native of Ecuador, opened a small Spanish-language library off Versailles Road, la Biblioteca Hispana. This humble initiative aimed to help the growing Spanish-speaking community access materials and services in their language. Initially unaffiliated with the Public Library, Aparicio and her volunteers built a collection that surpassed the Public Library’s Spanish offerings and established a network of supportive organizations and businesses.

Two years later, the Public Library absorbed Aparicio’s growing organization, opening the Village Library with a promise to carry on its mission of outreach. Under the leadership of Kathleen Imhoff and the compassionate direction of Betty Abdmishani, a Cuban-American immigrant, the Village Library became a hub for Lexington’s Hispanic community.

Opening day was a fully bilingual celebration filled with traditional Mexican dancers, puppet shows, and book giveaways. Betty Abdmishani was a pivotal figure, ensuring the library was more than just a place to check out books — it was a community center, a support group, and a lifeline for many.

Betty and her staff cultivated and expanded the relationships Aparicio had begun, bringing dozens of partnering organizations into Village to expand offerings for all residents. Under her leadership, Village instituted the city's first free homework help program, eventually serving over 700 children a month (I was the math guy; librarians tend to hate it).

She described the branch as “a referral agency, a school, a daycare, and a store.” However, her community-centered approach didn't sit well with everyone.

After Imhoff and key supportive board members departed in 2009, the new Hammond administration began pulling back support for Village’s partnerships and bilingual staff. When Betty retired in 2018, the administration refused to consider multiple bilingual applicants, leading to community and staff discontent.

The Village Library saw a dramatic 25% drop in daily visitor count due to short-term managers and administrative neglect, as revealed by a request made under our Open Records Act. Marksbury Family Branch has not reversed this trend, failing so far to engage the local Hispanic community effectively.

This is by no means the fault of the dedicated front-line staff, who remain committed to helping anyone who comes through their doors. A long-term lack of administrative support and community outreach from leadership has led to stagnating connections with local residents.

One local community leader and advocate suggested that the Public Library’s Board would be wise to establish an Advisory Committee specific to the new library, as a way to maintain an ongoing connection with residents in the area who are often hard to reach.

Now under the leadership of Executive Director Heather Dieffenbach, the Library finds itself again at the same crossroads with the manager role on Versailles Road. She and the board will decide whether to seize this opportunity, with a new flagship branch, to recommit to the community outreach that brought them to Cardinal Valley. Or, if they stay the course, the new Marksbury Family Branch might continue as a beautiful, underused monument to the community that once thrived there.

Residents can voice their support for hiring a bilingual community leader for the new branch by contacting Heather Dieffenbach or by attending the upcoming board meeting at the Central Library, on Wednesday, August 14th at 4:30 pm. Updates will be posted at lexbiblioteca.org.