‘Bigger than its building’: How Madison Public Library has expanded its community services

Renovations to the Central Library in downtown Madison have helped the Madison Public Library in its attempt to provide social services for the community. (Mariel McAleer/Madison Commons)

There’s a slab of concrete near the loading dock behind Central Library in downtown Madison. It’s hard and uncomfortable, but it’s conveniently located right next to a vent that blows out hot air from the library. For those without anywhere else to go, it’s a desirable spot on a chilly night.

It was on this slab of concrete that library staff members happened upon a woman and her two children. The family had been using the spot as a place to sleep when the weather began to turn more frigid last fall.

Fearing the family was in danger of getting run over by a truck, library staffers worked with the woman to help locate housing for her and the children.

“They did find housing for her. It took a little while, maybe a couple of weeks, but they eventually found housing for her,” said Lisa Mettauer, an outreach librarian at Central Library. “It was heartbreaking because the kids were young and they were sick, and it was very difficult to see that.”

Though this sort of work may not be what one expects out of a library, it has become a point of emphasis for Madison Public Library in recent years. The system offers a host of free programs and support services aimed at helping struggling adults and their families. As a result, the library was recently named a winner of the 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

The distinction recognizes “institutions [that] demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service,” according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services website. Five libraries and five museums were honored at an award ceremony at the White House earlier this month, with library director Greg Mickells and library volunteer Rob Franklin accepting a medal from First Lady Michelle Obama on behalf of the city of Madison.

What sets Madison Public Library apart is its ability to move beyond the basic capacity of a library — book lending — into providing services for the community, according to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison). In his letter nominating the library for the award, Pocan called the central branch of the institution a “true gem” because of these services.

“We’re looking for community engagement,” Mickells said on the expansive programming the library provides. “We’re reaching populations that wouldn’t necessarily make it into the library.”

Tackling homelessness in Madison

The story of librarians supporting a struggling family is not unique. The services Madison Public Library offers address a wide range of needs in the community: the system provides computer skills classes for people without access to technology, résumé workshops for young and unemployed adults and language services for newly immigrated community members.

But one of the biggest issues the library tackles is something many library patrons encounter everyday: homelessness. According to Mettauer, it seemed logical for the library to offer on-site support for homeless individuals.

“We know it’s a place where [homeless] people congregate, so why not try to offer them services?” Mettauer said.

Central Library’s primary partner in offering these services is Porchlight, Inc., a Madison-based emergency shelter seeking to empower vulnerable adults. The library has devoted a special room in its downtown facility dedicated to connecting needy community members with Porchlight staff.

Tyler O’Brien, a case manager for Porchlight, spends 40 hours a week in this room working to help people break the cycle of homelessness. The program has an open-door policy, meaning anyone can drop by at any point in the day to receive assistance. O’Brien aids people in their search for housing, connects individuals with food services, assists adults with their job search and often refers people to outside organizations partnered with the library.

But according to O’Brien, the most important thing he does is build lasting bonds with people seeking a source of stability in their lives.

“Programs don’t fix people, but relationships do,” O’Brien said. “When they see that someone really cares about them, it really has a big impact.”

O’Brien’s role as a dependable resource can be taxing, but he said it’s listening and practicing patience that makes him most useful to others. These qualities are just part of what helps him build rapport with homeless adults.

“I’ve been homeless myself and I’ve [struggled] with addiction problems,” O’Brien said. “I’ve been there and done that — so they look at me and think, ‘Well if you can do it, I can do it.’ But it takes hard work.”

Indeed, several challenges contribute to the cycle of homelessness, he said, including the interwoven issues of mental illness and addiction. The immediacy of homelessness also makes it difficult to move past other problems. The result? Not everyone the library works with ends up improving their life, according to Mettauer.

“There are some people who day-in and day-out haven’t been able to make the right choices and make the needed changes,” Mettauer said.

But every so often, the library experiences a success story. Librarians at the downtown location used to intermittently ban one particular woman because of her foul behavior, Mettauer said. During the days she was allowed in the library, however, staff would work to connect her with social services. Now she’s preparing to graduate from Madison Area Technical College and plans to introduce her family members to the librarians that did so much for her.

“Being homeless is a full-time job. It’s 24/7. You never get a day off,” O’Brien said. “I try to say if you can transfer that energy and that way of thinking into working 40 hours per week, life is so much easier.”

Breaking in a revamped building

Though these programs are now an integral part of the library’s mission and identity, their impact might not have been possible without the recent renovations to Central Library on West Mifflin Street.

Central Library underwent a major renovation and expansion project back in 2012 that cost roughly $20 million. Initial plans were to construct a brand new, six-story building to the tune of $37 million, but the Madison Common Council scrapped those plans in favor of the renovation and expansion project.

Despite this cheaper alternative to constructing a whole new building, the project still faced opposition and backlash from some who perceived the library as little more than an expensive congregation center for the homeless, according to Mettauer.

“There were a lot of comments people would make — very derogatory comments— about the homeless hanging out here. ‘Why are we building a brand new library for the homeless?’ It was very negative stuff,” Mettauer said. “But by the same token, I think we all see them as part of our community, and they have just as much right to be here as anybody else.” 

The renovation and expansion project gave the library a facelift and added a new third floor to provide room for additional activities and services. Since the revamped Central Library reopened to the public in September 2013, the Madison Public Library system has been able to expand the programs it offers to reach out into the community. As a result, many employees, including Mettauer, are experiencing things they wouldn’t have imagined when they first began their careers.

“Sometimes it’s very sad what we see here. It’s hard to accept that our society accepts this. It’s really hard to believe that America allows this,” Mettauer said. “Sometimes when you sign on for a job, you get something different when you get there. Librarianship was definitely one of those things. You think you’re going to be talking about books all day but there’s a whole lot of other stuff that’s involved with being a librarian on the front lines.”

With its main building now upgraded, Madison Public Library is able to focus on improving and expanding the community outreach programs that have already garnered it national recognition.

“It’s not just about bringing people into the library,” Mickells said. “It’s really embracing a philosophy that libraries need to be bigger than their building.”