Siouxland Libraries marks 30 years as director retires

A library is a place of books and computers, of learning and laughter, of small-group gatherings and the solitary pursuit of knowledge, entertainment and information.

For almost 30 years, Siouxland Libraries has brought all that and more to the residents of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County. And since the county and city library systems combined in 1995, the directors who led Siouxland Libraries have brought different strengths and skills to the position.

“Jim Dertien got the library system automated, and he also got the first branches built,” said Jodi Fick, the library’s soon-to-retire fourth director speaking of the first. “If he were to have said no on this merger, it wouldn’t have happened. Sally Felix was a builder; she was really good at administration. She got Oak View (branch) built, she got the Downtown Library expanded, and she got all the funding in place of Prairie West.

“Mary Johns knew automation, she knew technology, she knew systems. Under her, we did a lot of things that improved efficiency without expanding staffing. We moved staff from putting labels on the books to doing programs.”

Fick worked with all three of her predecessors, and her history goes back before the merger. The Minnehaha County Rural Public Library board hired Fick in 1990, and she reported for work at the system’s main office in Crooks.

An English literature with secondary education major, Fick had library experience through her work-study job at what is now Augustana University.

“At Mikkelsen Library for 10 hours a week, I would file the cards in the card catalog,” she said. “It was a really good introduction to how information is arranged, the subject headings, how things are put together. I would challenge myself to file as many cards as I could.”

That reference to card catalogs is just one indication of how much things have changed since Minnehaha County Commissioner Carol Twedt and Sioux Falls City Commissioner Bob Jamison met for breakfast one day and put the merger in motion. It was something that had been considered since the mid-1960s, Fick said.

The libraries themselves went back before that. Residents organized the Sioux Falls Public Library in the late 1800s, and funds from the Carnegie Foundation led to the construction of a Sioux quartzite building at 10th Street and Dakota Avenue in 19103. Rural libraries have varying histories, with Dell Rapids, for example, opening in the 1950s.

Independent libraries existed in country schools and at schools in smaller communities like Brandon. In 1960, residents outside Sioux Falls voted to create a library district, like a fire district, allowing taxes to purchase a bookmobile and books.

The two systems operated well separately, but there was always a nagging feeling that together they could be better. Then, two things spurred action. One was a retirement; the other was a property tax freeze.

Property taxes were the county library system’s only funding source, and Minnehaha County found itself in a bind in the early 1990s. The county temporarily had pulled its funding back to an unusually low level to reduce a surplus. When then-Gov. Bill Janklow instituted a property-tax freeze, the levy was left at that lower-than-normal level.

At the same time, the Sioux Falls Public Library’s assistant director, Justine Watson, was preparing to retire after about three decades of service. That meant significant staffing changes. Staffing two systems meant several overlapping positions, since both needed a director and someone to select books, Fick said.

“It kind of opened up an opportunity to examine is this the right time to merge the two systems,” Fick said. “We’re kind of looking at the county being short to provide services and the city having the potential to provide a position.”

Twedt and Jamison planted the seed for combining  the two systems, Fick said, and Joan Reddy, director of the county system, and Dertien made it happen.

“They had the vision,” she said.

When the merger happened, Sioux Falls had two libraries: the downtown branch, which had moved to Eighth Street and Dakota Avenue, and the Caille Branch, which opened in 1987. The Ronning Branch opened soon after, in September 1995. The most recent branch, Prairie West, opened in 2013.

Other branch libraries are found in Baltic, Brandon, Colton, Crooks, Garretson, Hartford, Humboldt and Valley Springs. Their futures may be evaluated soon, since the expansion of digital services and a well-traveled population may mean that many are not necessary, Fick said. Library services now can be used from home, work and the beach, she said.

Digital now accounts for more than one-quarter of Siouxland Libraries’ usage.

“We need to evaluate if we need all of the branches,” Fick said. “That’s part of our strategic planning, if that’s the right way to do it. We have many people who use multiple locations, whichever one is the closest.”

A library’s primary mission is providing access to information, Fick said. Siouxland Libraries employs 63 full-time staff members, with one-third librarians and the rest library associates. Their backgrounds vary, but one thing is the same: They are people interested in helping others.

“I have people from every type of degree,” Fick said. “A little bit more in English or education, I would say … (but) I have biologists, I have historians, I have early education majors, which is really good, I have people who don’t have degrees. … At the library we help everyone. We’re here to help all income levels, all education backgrounds.”

While technology has changed much at Siouxland Libraries, the personal touch is what has made it successful for 30 years, Fick said. Technology now checks out library materials, but the desks remain staffed by friendly faces.

“The questions have changed from ready reference to more life skills. Library staff members help people with technology, accessing job applications and filing for Social Security benefits.

“There are so many things that you have to do to live successfully as an adult in a digital age that people don’t know how to do and don’t know where to turn to,” Fick said. “Over the years, we went from ‘there’s the computer, I can help you turn it on’ to ‘I can help you with what’s on that page.’ But we won’t fill out taxes, we won’t answer legal questions, we won’t answer medical questions. We are not lawyers, doctors or IRS agents. We are your conduits to get to information.”

Lorie Hogstad grew up going to the library in Sioux Falls, making the move from the children’s library on South Phillips Avenue to the imposing Carnegie Library. In the summer, her family would pull a wagon to the bookmobile parked at a nearby school. Years later, her office as city clerk was in the Carnegie Library building that in 2001 had been transformed into the Carnegie Town Hall.

“It was fun when people would stop in and reminisce about its years as a library,” Hogstad said.

Hogstad has served on the Siouxland Libraries’ board of trustees. Her second term ends this summer, and she is one of three who will be replaced, two from the city and one from the county.

Recently, Hogstad, her 86-year-old mother and her son took part in a jigsaw-puzzle competition at the Prairie West Branch. That’s an example of the community and customer engagement that Siouxland Libraries offers, said Hogstad, who also has taken painting classes at a branch.

“There are so many things for the community to participate in, all kinds of activities in winter and summer for all ages,” she said.

The technology that Fick has instituted at the library has freed up staff to offer more programming, Hogstad said. No longer do they sort books and other returned materials; technology does that for them.

Hogstad praised Fick’s expansion of children’s programming and services. Hogstad’s oldest grandchild is 10, and she has been taking grandchildren to the library for nine years. A 5-year-old granddaughter calls Prairie View “my library.”

“She has done a phenomenal job with children’s programming. Over 12,000 children came to events last year. That’s amazing to me,” Hogstad said. “Twenty-eight-thousand children came through the early-learning programs last year. It’s phenomenal that so many have been touched. Think about all these exciting things they’re learning.”

Siouxland Libraries has seen and will continue to see physical changes, Fick said. Three study rooms were added to the Ronning Branch two years ago, and Oak View will be renovated this year if bids are favorable. When it opened, Oak View had one study room. Increased demand means that it will expand to four. The staff area will be enclosed, so noise from the automated book-handling equipment will be confined. In addition, a family restroom and a mother’s room — the first in the library system — will be added.

Retirement will mean no more driving to work from the farm near Luverne, Minnesota, where Fick and her husband, Tom, have lived since their marriage. “I’m ready to be his farm wife, so to speak,” she said. She was raised in Mobridge, where her parents still live. Retirement means more time spent with them and the Ficks’ two adult children.

Dertien, Felix and Johns all left legacies at Siouxland Libraries. Fick thinks her legacy might be building a staff that is well-trained and people-focused. The training program went from “come in and we’ll show you” to eight weeks of onboarding for new employees. Staff receive retraining to keep their skills strong, and there has been a focus on helping employees learn their strengths.

“I wanted to make sure staff have some elements of what they’re strongest at in their work life,” Fick said. “I’m strategic. I’m always figuring out five ways to do something. ‘Connectedness’ is also a big word of mine. Aligning staff so they’re satisfied at work because if you’re engaged, you are so much more productive.”

She’s leaving not because she’s burned out, Fick said, but because it’s time to focus on family and let others lead Siouxland Libraries into the future.

“She’s going to be very much missed,” Hogstad said. “There’s a great team in place. She’s done a fantastic job with the training of team and the collaborating of employees. I know it will continue to be successful.”

Time to celebrate

To celebrate its 30-year milestone, Siouxland Libraries will host events and activities, kicking off with Pack the Library Day on May 31. Siouxland Libraries also will have a collectible 30th anniversary aluminum bookmark for sale at all branches starting May 31.

What does Siouxland Libraries mean to you?

Here’s a sampling of what the public said when asked to weigh in on the question.

• I love the chance to read books I wouldn’t necessarily purchase and to attend book club to meet others and hear different perspectives on the things I’m reading! — Bailey, cardholder for four-plus years.
• In middle school, my geography teacher offered extra credit for anyone who could identify the names of the directions on the compass smaller than “Cardinal” and “Ordinal.” Eager for the extra credit, I asked my mom if she knew the answer. She suggested I call the Downtown Library. The reference librarian called me back within a half hour with the answer, and I was so impressed by the experience. In that moment, I decided I wanted to become a librarian to wield that kind of knowledge and power. Now, working every day at an academic library, I don’t visit the downtown branch as often, though I use Libby (digital services) regularly. Despite that, the Downtown Library remains deeply impactful in my life and holds a special place in my heart. — Kelly, cardholder for 32 years.
• I’m always discovering new services to try. I love finding out about the programs, especially the free ones for teens, as I can share them with my teen clients. — Beth, cardholder for nine years.
• Love the expanded access for users who can’t always make it when the library is open. Love the “Blind Date with a Book” program. And the library staff are ALWAYS friendly and helpful! — Brad, cardholder for 10 years.