Running head: LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW 1

Librarian Interview
With
Assistant Branch Manager Carey Major
Crystal S. Stephenson
University of South Florida
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Librarian Interview with Assistant Branch Manager Carey Major

Carey Major was recently promoted from a Branch Librarian for the Winter Garden

Branch of the Orange County Library System in Central Florida to the Assistant Branch Manager

for the Alafaya Branch. Carey has a collective ten years of experience working with adult

services and programming, including thirteen months at the Winter Garden Branch as of late. In

an interview via email, Carey provided some valuable insights into her experience with adult

services and programming, from development and determinants of success to some of the

challenges she faces and concludes with what she sees as the future of services and programming

going forward.
Carey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Indiana University South Bend and

a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree from Indiana University. Her library

work experience includes positions as a Teen Librarian for St. Joseph County Public Library in

South Bend, Indiana, and a Youth Services Librarian at the Solon Public Library in Solon, Iowa.

Prior to her work in the library system, Carey was a merchandising manager and children’s

department lead at Barnes and Noble, proving she has always had a love for books and a desire

to help and assist members in her community. She moved to Central Florida less than two years

ago and was soon thereafter hired as a Branch Librarian for the Orange County Library System.
It was a learning disability that inspired Carey to enter the library field, explaining that as

a child she “struggled learning to read” (personal communication, January 31, 2019). She

elaborates, “I had a learning disability, so I didn’t enjoy reading. Teachers and librarians would

recommend books that didn’t connect with me. They pushed me to read authors like Beverly

Cleary and Judy Blume. Both are great authors, but not the right kind of book for me. I thought I

was incapable of reading. Feared that I wasn’t smart enough. Then during the summer between

5th and 6th grade, a librarian/teacher asked me questions and listened to my answers. With the
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information I gave her, she recommended The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I remember struggling

to read the book. I didn’t think I’d get through it. But I did. And loved it. I went on to read

everything by S.E. Hinton, and from there I continued to read all my life. It took years for me to

catch up with my peers, but because of that book recommendation, I found other titles that I

loved. Reading The Outsiders gave me hope that I was more than just my learning disability, and

gave me a lifetime love of reading. I have that teacher/librarian to thank for that. I became a

librarian to provide that hope to other children.”

Carey has worked with adult programming “off and on” for 10 years. One example of a

program she was involved with initiating is “Meal and a Movie” at the Solon Public Library,

which is a monthly senior program where “participants ate a meal and then watched a movie

together. The meal was usually themed with the film. The program itself was free, but the meal

cost $7. The Friends of the Library and local senior’s organization helped cover most of the

meal.” Other programs Carey has organized included adult crafting, which took place once a

week where participants did a lot of paper-based crafts, and she ran various book clubs, covering

a wide variety of genres from science fiction to autobiography. While all of the programs were

“fun to lead,” her “most successful was probably a ‘Meal and a Movie’. It had a great group of

regulars and provided a space in the Solon community for seniors to gather, watch movies, and

share a meal.”
Asked whether any library programs or services were ever conducted beyond the walls of

the library, Carey insists, “A library needs to be more than a brick and mortar location. It should

be a movement. It’s information, people, connection, community. Librarians need to be out in the

community if they want to make an actual impact and create a strong, lasting relationship with

their patron base. Library walls should just be a central location. Public Librarians should make

an effort to be a part of local schools and important community events and projects. You can
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identify these opportunities by building strong ties to the local schools and organizations.

Specifically looking for other nonprofits to partner with and connecting to local businesses.”

Carey goes on to emphasize the importance of partnerships with external organizations as a vital

element in the development of programs, adding, “as a librarian you’ll look for outside resources

to support and participate in your programming at the library. For example, summer reading

prizes are often donated by local businesses and organizations. I’ve also worked with local

schools on field trips, science fairs, the battle of the books judging, and emergency preparedness.

Libraries often bring in the community to participate in or host programs. Often community

members like police officers come in to talk to kids about their jobs, or local chefs will go and do

a small cooking demo. The library should be a place to connect to resources of all kinds.” As far

as additional resources used to find programs and service ideas, Carey says, “When looking for

ideas about creating new programs and services I usually do a combination of a few things. I do

online research to see what other libraries are doing, talk to peers in the industry, communicate

with patrons about what they are interested in having in the library, and I do research in the

community to see what services the library can provide.”

Programming is definitely a “collaborative” effort, according to Carey, explaining that,

“Every program I’ve worked on that has been genuinely successful has had the support of the

team I worked with. It can be as simple as clerks recommending the program to patrons, to as

complicated as helping me create and run a program. To work in programming, you need to be

able to work well with others.” When asked whether any specific guidelines are outlined for

programs and services in her experience, Carey says “it depends,” later clarifying that, “At the

Orange County Library System, we have a lot of creative space to make programming our own,

but we also have standards that are created across the system. All of our locations provide a base

of resources and programs, but from there we all build services and programs based on our
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specific communities.” The programs are paid for in a variety of ways, including grants,

donations, Friends of the Library, and pulled from the allotted library budget. Carey adds, “The

only way to provide all the services a community needs are to look for a variety of financial

resources.”
When determining a program or service’s success, Carey explains, “I usually consider the

first few sessions a trial run. For example, if the program runs once a month, I do the program for

three to four months, and I’ll evaluate it and make adjustments as needed. If a program is

successful after this period, I consider it a long-term program and continue to have it. Even

though it will continue, I make adjustments depending on participant feedback over time. If the

program is struggling after the trial period, I try and make changes that will help it succeed. If

after adjustments, it’s still not working I’ll let it go and move onto other ideas.” But Carey warns,

“It’s important to not fall too deeply in love with your own thoughts. It’s about what the patrons

want and need, not what you want.” Determinants of success, according to Carey, include

attendance numbers, the community impacted, participant feedback, and “it’s role in moving our

strategic plan for the year forward.”

Programming does present some challenges at times, but Carey identifies her biggest

challenge as “really two-fold. Time and money. Librarians always have about a million ideas of

things that they would like to accomplish. Being only one person is really a problem. I think

we’d all like a duplicate to help offer more services and programs to our communities. Even

when you find the time it’s sometimes tricky to find financial support for your ideas. That’s one

reason it’s so important to build outside connections in the community. Often when you want to

provide a service that the area needs you can find some financial support locally if you’ve taken

the time to build out those relationships.”

As the interview came to a close, Carey was asked about her predictions for the future of

adult programming and services. Carey opines, “I believe that in the next 10-15 years libraries
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must be out in the community providing programming and services. The library building will

still be important, but adult programming can happen in a ton of different locations. Book clubs

at a local pub, crafts in a senior center, game night in a comic shop, and/or checking out books at

the grocery store.” Regarding any big changes Carey foresees, such as more emphasis on

technology and digital literacy, she concludes, “Technology will always be an essential part of an

adult program, but it is no longer the thing we’ll be shifting to. It’s what we should already be

doing. Now is the time to look for other avenues and grow in new ways.”
The author of this paper would like to extend their gratitude to Carey Major for

participating in this interview and taking the time to answer all of the questions posed. It was a

pleasure connecting with her and learning about her experience working with adult programming

and services.

Contact information for Assistant Branch Manager Carey Major:

Alafaya Branch
12000 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32826
(407) 835-7336
major.carey@ocls.info
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References
Major, C. (2019, January 31). Personal Interview with Carey Major [Email].