Director Zino marvels at increase in programs, community involvement due to library renovation
With all the talk emanating from the Haddonfield School District about modernizing its educational experience and implementing forward-thinking policies to compete in a 21st-Century marketplace of ideas, it’s natural Haddonfield Public Library would follow suit.
For director Eric Zino and the rest of his staff, keeping up with advances in information and technology for community use outside the classroom environment is a crucial component of the job. It has been made easier following renovations to the century-old building that were completed more than two years ago.
“Myself and the rest of the staff here, we all have a common mindset that (working here is) a continuing education for all of us, all the time. We are learning about the tech, learning about what they’re doing in schools, and at the same time we’re learning about why people want to know these things,” he said.
“We do try to stay abreast of what the schools are doing and how they’re doing it, and when possible, we try to create this experience in the community where a tool that students are using, perhaps they’ll come see it in the library as well and have year-round access to it. More’s the better, they can bring their family and teach them about it.”
Zino said the rise in interest regarding virtual reality comes up frequently in discussions among himself and his department heads as something the library is striving to bring on board at some point in the near future. He regards VR as a gateway for people to experience things they otherwise can’t because of a lack of experience, opportunity or element of danger.
“You’ll hear about things like people being trained on welding through virtual reality technology. There are some very socially conscious topics, what it’s like to be inside a jail cell. So people can experience things, and that’s content to us, the same way things are within bound books. We get excited about what people can do, what they create, we look at these creations as content, and being a community library, we think it’s important for people to have access to content in all forms,” Zino said.
Zino has officially served in the director’s post since July 2016, having been interim director for six months prior. Just over one month into his tenure, the library celebrated its re-opening with a greater amount of space than before. Even with that necessary lead time, knowing how to successfully steward the library in its transition period was an exercise in flexibility and adaptability, all with a quick learning curve.
“There was that period where we were in the annex on Kings Highway, so we got a chance to find out how we worked together as a team, and tweak our strategies for marketing library materials. And we brought the lessons we learned at the annex, storefront marketing techniques, to this location when we reopened. The building didn’t get any bigger so we just had to get creative in using the space however we could. We’re using this space the same way now, but that isn’t to say that in the next couple years, we won’t change dramatically the way certain rooms in the building are used.”
Improvements to the physical plant have opened up a world of possibilities within the library, and have led to an increase in the number of programs available and young people involved. Among his favorites are several programs introduced and managed by children’s librarian Jordan Bilodeau, affectionately known as Ms. Jordan.
One Saturday a month, the library hosts a pajama story time, and also sets aside time where kids can read to a dog to gain practice reading aloud to a non-judgmental audience. Bilodeau has also implemented a program where children are given the chance to learn and explore song and different instruments.
Zino also mentioned Bilodeau and emerging technologies librarian Cathy DeCampli have teamed up on STEM (or STEAM, including arts in the acronym) activities for older children. For instance, kids enrolled in that program will be sent home with paper bags that contain the ingredients or instructions for experiments families can do together. In addition, Bilodeau and DeCampli have also worked on programming over the summer that teaches children how to code.
“It’s software that’s kind of ‘drag-and-drop,’ where you can drag snippets of programming connected to others and either create animation, or create a set of instructions for a robot, things of that nature,” Zino said. “I’m really proud of it. She really is a superstar, Jordan Bilodeau.”
The Teen Advisory Board — a group of students from grades seven-12 — has also made greater use of the new space, featuring events such as gatherings for Dungeons and Dragons and a program called Reading Buddies, where a non-judgmental teen helps children gain confidence to read aloud. Zino also fondly mentioned the displays of community artwork — particularly from students in the early elementary level — that line the stairs from the main level down to the children’s room.
“This building is 100 years old, and I do think the borough’s done a great job committing to it, making sure it will be here for many decades to come. It’s an honor to be entrusted with it at this time. I mean it when I say I think other people, from outside the community, can look here and be jealous. It’s a great set up,” he said.
For more information about the library, contact Zino at [email protected] or (856) 429–1304 x111. For more information about children’s programs, contact Bilodeau at [email protected] or (856) 429–1304 x117. For more information about library technology, contact DeCampli at (856) 429–1304 or [email protected].
