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| Splash photo by Craig Howard |
Pamela Mogen has served as director of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library since 2003. The native of Pennsylvania is also an established author with original works published by Simon & Schuster.
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A Cup of Joe: Literary life
3/30/2015 4:14:58 PM
By Craig Howard
Splash Contributor
While Pamela Mogen will observe National Library Week, April 12-18, along with the rest of the country, she makes it clear that the celebration of literature and learning is a year-round priority in Liberty Lake.
Mogen was brought on as the inaugural director of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library in 2003, charged with guiding an entity that sprang from enthusiastic civic roots not long after incorporation in 2001. A vast community-wide book drive served as the rallying point for the upstart library, originally housed in a humble space on the lower floor of Greenstone's Liberty Square Building on Meadowwood Lane.
These days, Mogen oversees a thriving system that shares a sprawling space on Mission Avenue with the Liberty Lake Police Department. Buoyed by a foundation, a board of trustees and a dedicated volunteer effort that started as the Community Library Council and is now known as the Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library, the city's repository of literature is recognized as one of the region's finest.
Mogen bears the distinction of a library director who not only shelves books but also authors a handful of them. Her Jane Austen-inspired collection, "The Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman Trilogy" was originally published by Wytherngate Press, a company founded by Mogen and her husband, Michael. The trio of novels was eventually discovered by Simon & Schuster Inc., one of the world's five largest English-language publishers. The New York-based company has also included one of Mogen's short stories in a Jane Austen-themed anthology. Wytherngate Press, meanwhile, has gone on to publish half-a-dozen books by other authors as well as a novella by Mogen.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mogen was born a few months after her father shipped off to the Korean War with his Army platoon. Raised 30 miles outside Philadelphia, Mogen grew up in predominantly suburban surroundings that still featured plenty of the area's early agricultural and farming roots.
The oldest of six kids, Mogen gravitated toward reading despite the fact that there was no library in her small town. She recalls a set of Junior Classics and a collection of Nancy Drew mysteries, published in the 1930s, as her first literary interests. Later, in elementary school, she found refuge in what she remembers as "the wonderful Scholastic book flyers."
Growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania also meant supplemental transportation beyond the automobile. Along with reading, Mogen counted horses as her primary hobby. When she was in high school, she finally purchased one of her own.
Mogen attended Millersville State College (now University) near Lancaster, Pa., beginning as a history major with a goal of teaching high school history. When she heard of a new program, offering a bachelor of science in education and credentialing for public school librarians, Mogen shifted her studies and her major. She later added a master's degree in information science from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.
Before being hired by the city of Liberty Lake, Mogen worked in Minnesota, Illinois and Georgia at a variety of public and private school, hospital and college libraries. She and Michael have six kids in their combined family as well as seven grandchildren. Mogen also has a musical side, adept on the guitar, piano and hammered dulcimer. When not pouring through books, writing or finding the right note, Mogen enjoys sewing and knitting.
Q: When you were hired as the first director of the Liberty Lake Library, what did you know about the city and the library system here?
A: When I was hired in late 2003, I didn't know anything about Liberty Lake except that it was a new town that wanted a library. I'd only been in the area for about four months when the position was advertised. I didn't know anything about the Spokane County Library District and was only just learning about the Spokane Public Library through getting a position with them as a substitute librarian. I learned about the details of the controversy with SCLD and the decision to leave it after starting the job.
Q: Speaking of that controversy, it was determined early on that the city would establish a library that was separate from the Spokane County Library District. Looking back, do you think this was a prudent decision?
A: I believe it was a visionary decision. I use that word a lot about Liberty Lake. There is much to be said about being part of a large system such as SCLD, but the drawbacks for Liberty Lake were significant. The 20-year development plan for SCLD never included a facility in Liberty Lake. The existing plan designated Otis Orchards as Liberty Lake's library. Under SCLD's direction, the library that the (Liberty Lake) Community Library Council put together would have had the collection updated but at best it would have remained in the Liberty Building on Meadowwood Lane and open only a few days per week. The question remained: How long would it be maintained and would it ever develop? No one seemed to have a firm answer for the longevity of the project. Collection development, programming, if any, and extent of services would be determined by SCLD and only at a drain on resources that were never meant to include a separate facility at Liberty Lake.
Q: Was a case made for collaborating with SCLD?
A: The argument for staying, and did we hear it for the first four years, was the loss of immediate access to the huge SCLD collection. We did our best to make up for that by establishing inter-library loan agreements area-wide, building the best collection we could afford and purchasing what our citizens requested. As a result of local control, we expanded our operating hours, developed a great children's library and program and were able to pour much energy into exciting summer reading events and great customer service. We quickly outgrew the space in response to community support. In 2011, we joined Community Information Network, a group of 26 libraries using a common computer catalog and courier service and access to 500,000 items. In 2012, we negotiated a reciprocal borrowing agreement with SCLD, adding another 500,000 items available for free to our citizens. We have more than compensated for the initial loss of access and negotiated a position that gives Liberty Lake citizens an enviable array of resources. Most importantly, having our own library meant that local needs would take priority in the way the library was stocked and operated. One of these needs, which may not have been considered in the city's initial decision, is that of a place for Liberty Lake people to come together as a community. That is happening and we take that responsibility very seriously.
Q: What do you recall about the library's original location in the Meadowwood Building?
A: The Meadowood location was a mere 3,200 square feet that was essentially full when the Community Library Council deeded it to the city. Adding needed shelving created a circuitous path through the room, book cages were twist-tied together to increase shelf space, office space was extremely limited, my first desk was an old, portable typing table, and programming was hampered. We were able to expand into space two doors down which became the Children's Library, increasing our footage by half.
Q: In 2008, the city ran a $9.8 million bond that would have funded construction of a new library and city center. That vote failed by over 61 percent with less than 43 percent of registered voters casting ballots. What were your thoughts about that initiative and the community's response at the ballot?
A: The initiative itself was a visionary as well as practical solution to the implications that Liberty Lake's growth continues to present for the future. As such, it was apparently both ahead of its time and at the wrong time. I have reviewed the negative letters to The Splash from those days and point to the economic downturn, an impending school bond, residual animus for leaving SCLD and the confusion about what a library does and what a community center meant for Liberty Lake that combined to create the negative response.
Q: After the bond vote failed, the city moved quickly to acquire the site of a former industrial warehouse for a new library and police precinct. What were some of your first impressions when you saw the building and heard about the plan?
A: The plan to move the library into the former warehouse was presented to us as a temporary measure of five to 10 years duration. That time frame was later stretched into an indefinite future. I didn't have the creative imagination to see what the concrete and cinderblock could become, but the architects and designers at Bernardo-Wills did. They designed a marvelous setting that continues to "wow" newcomers.
Q: How do you think the site has worked out as the library's home?
A: The current library site has worked out well for the library as a temporary home, but the reason we ran the bond remains. We do not have enough space for the number of people who come to our classes and events, room to grow our collections or space to dedicate to the functions that libraries are being called upon to provide. The library as a community, educational and technical center for all ages is the future that calls us according to library research and what our own citizens are telling us.
Q: When you think about programming at the library, what are some of the major changes you've implemented over the years?
A: The economic downturn of 2009 and its continuing effects brought more new users into library doors than any previous event. It underscored the need for traditional library service and the development of new, enhanced services for the very specific needs of our community's members. I wrote a grant that funded our Jobs and Career Center in 2010. To meet the need for digital literacy classes for people updating their computer skills, job seekers and for older adults we've developed classes at the personal, small group, and online level or partnered with others such as Microsoft to provide the portal for free IT education. Early literacy has been expanded beyond "storytime" to include elements supported by early childhood research. We now include joint parent/child classes on readiness skills for pre-school and Kindergarten, story times on science and math concepts and more opportunities for children to be makers rather than merely consumers by offering classes such as our LEGO club, STEM-tacular Saturdays, Create Space, and kids' crafts. Today, the avenues of learning come in a variety of media, and many are not available privately or are economically feasible for individuals. Our resources and classes have become more concerned with the educational opportunities we can offer all our patrons.
Q: The Friends of Liberty Lake Municipal Library is a group that has been around since the beginning. How integral has this volunteer organization been to the success of the library?
A: Our Friends are the heirs of the Community Library Council whose passion and drive organized the original library. Over the years, those same qualities have raised funds that help furnish the library and provide for programs such as summer reading. They are much needed helpers at events like our Halloween Party and volunteers that keep our books shelved. The Friends serve as our connection and ambassadors to the community. We couldn't do what we do without this fabulous, enthusiastic group.
Q: How do you see the library's role in the overall cultural context of Liberty Lake?
A: I see the library's role in Liberty Lake as two-fold. First, as an essential component of the area's strong educational system, delivering high quality public education for all ages. Our educational mission is built on three pillars of service: Self-directed education provided by our collection and databases and our reach into area and nation-wide resources. Plus, research assistance and instruction for individuals and groups in our classes and, finally, instructive and enlightening experiences through cultural and community center activities events and partnerships. Our second role is closely related, that of serving as the community's center where cultural and community activities build connections between Liberty Lake residents of all ages, a place where civic identity is grown, where individuals and families are nurtured and community groups can hold meetings and engage in civic and cultural projects year-round, just as we've experienced at Pavillion Park during their excellent summer programs.
Q: Finally, what do you enjoy most about being part of the Liberty Lake community?
A: I enjoy Liberty Lake's "can-do" attitude and the drive to make this the best small town in Washington by some of the most dedicated and creative people I've ever met, both in and out of city government. Thank you for the opportunity to grow a library that supports those inspiring ideals.
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