New KFPL CAO says libraries are more vital than ever

Jan 26, 2012

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) Board opted for continuity when they chose Patricia Enright as their new Head Librarian/Chief Executive Officer late last fall, replacing Deborah Defoe at the start of this year.

For the past 7 ½ years Enright has been the Director of Children's and Rural Services at the integrated library city/county library, and before that she was the chief librarian at both the Clarington and Port Hope public libraries.

She came to Kingston in 2004 not only to join a larger organization, but also for the opportunity to go back to school and earn a Masters degree in Public Administration at Queen's.

“I really love Kingston, and I have loved working in the county as well, so when the chief librarian job came open I was ready to make the commitment,” she said of her decision to apply for the libraries’ top job.

The KFPL has a financial relationship with the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac. The individual townships within the County are involved as well as they own and maintain the library facilities within their own boundaries.

“We have worked with the townships quite a lot in recent years, with North Frontenac on upgrades to the Plevna and Cloyne branches, with South Frontenac on the Storrington branch and the new Sydenham branch last year, and with Frontenac Islands for the Wolfe Island branch,” she said.

While there have been no changes in Central Frontenac, there likely will be in the coming couple of years.

“We have a three-way relationship with regards to the branch in Parham, between the library, the township and the school board because the board owns the portable we use, which is attached to the school,” she said regarding the pending closure of Hinchinbrooke Public School in 2013. An upgrade to the Arden branch is also planned for some time in the future.

One major issue that is being faced by the entire world of books and reading is the explosion of e-readers, tablet computers and e-books, and while the KFPL has the technology in place to deliver e-books, the rights situation for e-books is still in flux, and this has an impact on the acquisition budget of the library.

“People think they should be able to download e-books at will, but it is not that simple. The digital rights management system that is available is called Overdrive, and our agreement is that only one person at a time can access the books at a time. And some publishers will only sell the rights for a single copy. So people end up putting holds on the digital versions of books just like they do for the physical version.”

Library staff are also doing a lot of work demonstrating how different e-reading systems work. In fact, two of the Kingston branches are offering weekly e-reading and e-audio help sessions on an ongoing basis.

The challenge of adapting to e-reading is just another of the changes that have been faced by libraries during Patricia Enright's career.

“There have been more technological changes affecting libraries over the last 15 years than in the previous 100,” Enright said. “When I walk around in each of our branches now, I see people using all kinds of laptops to connect to our Wifi service. They do everything from filing EI [Employment Insurance] claims to using Facebook, reading newspapers and magazines that are available in paper and digital form. At the same time we still have people borrowing all kinds of materials to take home. The media might change, but our mission remains the same, connecting people with books, supporting literacy, that remains the same; we are very much a vital service.”

Patricia Enright has heard for many years that libraries are relics from a bygone era, but she points out that the KFPL is busier than it has ever been. Some of the improvements that have been made have had a direct impact on that use.

“When we look at the new Sydenham branch, we see that the use is up about 50% from where it was before, so the investment that was made has paid off and will continue to pay off,” she said.

With Patricia Enright taking on the chief librarian role, there has been a reshuffling of responsibilities. Barb Love is now the manager of Adult Services and Rural branches, and responsibility for Children's Services has gone to Lester Webb, who is also responsible for Systems and Technical Services.

A new position is being planned as well, a manager for outreach and programming.

While the library branches in the city and county and KFPL.ca bring significant access for people, Enright said that the focus on further outreach is all about expanding the reach of the KFPL further into the life of Kingston and Frontenac County.