WiLS October 2016 Member Interview: Jon Mark Bolthouse, Fond du Lac Public Library

One of our greatest joys at WiLS is hearing our members tell the stories of the big and important work they are doing – interesting new projects or initiatives, or even interesting and new approaches to old projects.  And, in addition to hearing about it, it makes us even happier when we can share those stories with other members.   Each month, WiLS is proud to feature an interview with one of our library members. This month, we interview Jon Mark Bolthouse, Director of the Fond du Lac Public Library.

Why did you, personally, choose to work in libraries?

My library journey, like pretty much every other librarian, took me down a wide variety of paths before ending up in this profession.  I’ve had a ton of different jobs in my life—and by jobs I mean something I was actually paid for—including sous chef at a Mexican restaurant, teen actor, spotlight operator for everyone from Gang Starr to Pat Boone, telemarketer, cable company technician, preschool teacher, bookseller for both Borders and Rand McNally, security guard at the World’s largest haunted house, and long-time professional musician.  However, none of them—with the exception of musician—could be called a career.

I ended up going to college in my 30s and as I approached graduation with a history degree from Loyola University in Chicago, I wasn’t exactly sure what was next.  I had a strong interest in computers and technology, but also loved the aspect of research and constantly learning new things.

One Saturday at a Hindu temple in the Chicago suburbs, I shared my story with a librarian from Chicago Public, telling him, “I’m not sure where I should be going from here.  I think I’d like to continue my education but don’t like the idea of limiting and narrowing my work, which I’d have to do with an advanced degree in history.”  He pointed out that libraries were changing, and this new “Internet” thing was the catalyst for the change (this was in 1995).  I thought, well, yeah, that’s where I should be, and started looking into graduate schools.  I knew the combination of technology, research, and service was the right fit for me. I ended up attending the University of Illinois at Champaign, Urbana and was fortunate enough to be on the team developing the first accredited online Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science.  After graduation, I worked for several universities around the country including the University of Puget Sound, Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Wisconsin Colleges System.  In late 2009, I transitioned away from academic libraries and toward public libraries with a job at the South Central Library System.  A couple of years later I took the job of Director here at Fond du Lac.

What is unique about the culture of your library? How do you influence it?

I’ve always believed that folks drawn to this profession do so because they genuinely like to help others.  There’s such a strong element of service in everything we do.  I don’t believe this is unique to our library but I can tell you that pretty much everyone who works here has such a strong customer service work ethic.  The best way I can model or influence that aspect of our culture is to try to live that customer service ethic every day as director.

For Fond du Lac Public Library, I do think we all do a great job re-envisioning what it is to be a public library, and do so every day.  The Idea Studio, our latest endeavor, is a great example of that re-envisioning. While most would describe it as a makerspace, it’s much more than that.  The intersection that happens between art and technology, traditional craftsmanship and high-end computing, along with culinary literacy and music creation is unique for this type of space.  We are very excited to see where this takes our community in the coming months.

What do you think is important to know about the patrons or community you work with? What helps you understand those needs?

I’m not sure I can think of anything that’s NOT important to know about your community! The needs of your community members are paramount to success, more so than circulation stats, shiny new technology toys, or any other aspect of a public library.  Without a strong connection to the public, your patrons, and the community, your library cannot thrive.

The best way to understand the needs is to embed yourself in any way you can in the community:  Join one or more service/social organizations and encourage your staff to do the same.  Reach out to all of the others, presenting on the library at least once a year, if not more.  Attend as many public events as possible, and figure out how to create a library presence at all your local fairs, events, public gatherings, etc.

The same technique can be used in academic institutions as well:  participate actively in any staff Senates, reach out to every department–even those that may not have a direct connection to the library, and make yourself as relevant as possible.

What big ideas are being worked on at your library? What problems are being solved?

We’ve had the great opportunity to work through several big ideas lately, including the Idea Studio mentioned above, but also several new revenue opportunities such as the formation of a library endowment fund at our local non-profit foundation office and a free standing used bookstore run by the library.

We most recently embarked on a strategic planning process with the help of WiLS.  That will be the latest “big idea” that we will be working on.  I look forward to seeing what gets revealed in terms of other areas needing attention.

I’m also hoping that we can devote some energy to our physical collection and to the decline in circulation that pretty much every library is facing these days.

In 2012, we took a very radical look at our Summer Reading Program and decided to completely scrap it and start over.  By focusing the program on what our users wanted, rather than processes that worked well for us as librarians, we’ve seen overall participation grow over 184% this year, with a growth of over 400% in teen participation!  Our community read for 3,445,500 minutes this year.  I’m convinced that we can apply the same energy to our circulation numbers.

——————

These interviews are part of a series of interviews with both WiLS library and vendor partners.  Your feedback is appreciated.  If you have any to offer on this article, or suggestions for upcoming interviews, contact Andrea Coffin at .