Barbara Gubbin is the new library director for the Jacksonville public library system. She brings with her 10 years of experience as a library director in Houston, and a lifetime of work with libraries throughout the world.
Born and raised in India, she also has lived in England and West Africa. She enjoys reading, listening to books on CDs and tapes, running, lifting weights and outdoor activities like hiking and birding. She also is very interested in cultural pursuits like the theater, classical music, ballet and dance and is excited to find all of these entertainments here.
Excited about the new main library and her chance to work with Jacksonville’s libraries, she exclaims, “This library has the opportunity to be one of the model libraries for the 21st century in terms of public libraries.”
She is thrilled of the new developments in Jacksonville, adding, “ I think it was wonderful that Jacksonville was selected for the Super Bowl and the national attention that provided, but just wait-we are going to have the headlines out in red when we complete what I have termed a “banner year” in Jacksonville, the year when we will complete the Better Jacksonville Plan for the libraries, opening the new main library, opening the four remaining branch libraries that are under construction, and completing the renovation projects. In a very short period of time, this city and this library system has accomplished a great deal. I look forward to all of those things happening.”
She spoke with Carrie Resch of the Daily Record staff.
What made you decide to work with libraries?
“A number of things. I was a teacher for a short period of time in West Africa and had the opportunity to work with the library in the school there. I saw some interesting things that could be done with that in terms of the students there, so I really think that piqued my interest.
“I always loved to read and enjoyed books and information. It’s also a qualification that travels; I always look forward to the opportunity of traveling and exploring new places. That is why I came to Jacksonville — it’s a challenge of a new place. I got a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of London and undergraduate in University of Birmingham in the U.K. with a degree in history.
“I started off as a “teen services” librarian at the San Antonio public library in Texas and it just kind of took off from there. I really enjoyed interacting with the public, that is something that I think is very meaningful. The American Library Association often uses the slogan, ‘Libraries change lives,’ and I believe that is true. You can impact a young person early on, helping them read, learn how to research effectively so they can be successful in school and college, help people research for a new business, or a senior who is looking for new opportunities in their retirement years. It’s a wonderful career. You can really give back to the community and I never regretted the choice that I made.”
What does a library director do?
“One of the primary things is to provide leadership to the organization and to be one of the faces and voices out there in the community representing the library and advocating for the library. It’s something that I think is extremely important, that people know that they have a wonderful library system and they know the many things that we can provide.
“I look for every opportunity as a director to do that. I have a lot of responsibility when it comes to the budget, working with our elected leaders to make sure that they understand what the library does and what our needs are. I work very closely with the community, particulary with the Board of Trustees who represent the community to us and are the governing board of this library.
“My job is to hire a very wonderful staff, as are already here, to make sure the library is administered effectively and provides the kinds of services that the community wants.”
Before Jacksonville?
“I was the director of the Houston public library for almost 10 years, and worked at that library for almost 20 years. I went there from San Antonio to be coordinator of the Houston area library system. Texas is a large state and it’s divided into 10 administrative units which are based at large public libraries. I headed one of those administrative units and worked with about 70 public libraries in southeast Texas as a consultant, helping guide them in terms of their collection, working with their boards, their governing bodies, developing new programs.
“I then became the assistant director of the Houston public library. When the director retired, they did a national search and I was a candidate. I was very honored to be selected to be the new director.
“My very first job as a professional librarian was in London working for the Fawcett library. I had worked previously in the city of London public library before I went to library school doing a number of clerical, semi-professional things. Then to San Antonio.”
Why Jacksonville?
“The wonderful opportunity at the Jacksonville public library brought me here. This city has invested such a remarkable number of dollars in their library system and clearly had a desire and is fulfilling the desire of becoming a great city, partly because it has a great public library system.
“They advertised nationally and also used a search firm. I had been aware of the position and I had begun thinking of making a change after such a long time in Houston.
“People have been very welcoming, helping me settle down. The staff particularly really has welcomed me. I’m going around and meeting with the staff at each of the branch libraries in groups, talk with them about my goals for the library system and hear who they are and what they are doing, their aspirations.”
Plans for the system?
“We will soon be embarking on a strategic planning process. I haven’t yet formulated all of that because I am still very new. Clearly, for the past few years, the Better Jacksonville Plan and the implementation of that has been the plan for this library system. It involved a lot: budgeting, hiring new staff, building collections. There were a lot of things that went into achieving that plan.
“We need to set forth the map for the next few years. We’re looking in a very preliminary way at this point how we are going to do that. We will want to involve the community, focus groups, community meetings, elected leaders like the mayor and council offices and the school board and others, the Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation and the staff. (We need to be) letting people know that this is happening, giving people the opportunity to provide input so that we can set a direction with some very specific goals for the library system — kind of move us into the next five or so years.”
The new Main library?
“It’s just beautiful. We’re currently working with the Friends of the Library who are expecting to provide a bookstore in the building with primarily used books of good quality. We’re going to be working with them and designing that and making a bookstore work. On the other side of the lobby, (we want) a cafe of some kind, another eating experience Downtown. We don’t mind saying that we look around and take other people’s good ideas, and if Borders and Barnes and Noble can attract people by offering a book and a latte, the public library can do exactly the same.
“We want people to come to the library in many different ways. There will be a children’s theatre on the third floor. The libraries in Jacksonville are growing in terms of square footage by 270 percent. That is a really unique achievement. The new library is almost 300,000 square feet. There will also be a really neat ‘teen area.’ One of our goals is to make our branches and particularly the Main Library one of the coolest places for teens to hang out in Jacksonville.”
What do you like best about your job?
“Interaction with customers and knowing that I and the library I work with has made a difference for them.”
What is most challenging?
“Ensuring that you have the resources to accomplish the goals that you set. Resources can be a whole range of things like money, talent and expertise, quality of buildings from which you need to deliver your services, or access to some of the newest technology to enable you to move forward. One of the biggest challenges is to ensure that the community understands the difference the library can make.”