John McCarthy
Slingerlands
Occupation: Writer
Q. What do you consider your most meaningful career accomplishment?
A. I have to say it would be the completion of my second novel. Striking out in a new direction is difficult, but it can be, and in this case was, extremely rewarding.
Q. What skills do you bring to your tenure on the board?
A. Knowing how accomplished and well-rounded the board currently is, I can be most useful in the areas of social and demographic analysis, organizing information about the community and how it uses the library to help shape its future.
Q. What are your goals as a library board member?
A. The goals that I would like to finish as a trustee include the improvement of the outdoor entertainment area, expansion of our technological resources to allow the library to focus more on direct service, and the establishment of processes that allow the board to react more effectively to changes in the community.
Q. How does a library best serve its community?
A. First, by knowing the community. Our library has been blessed with a director and staff who understand that the library doesn’t stop at Delaware Avenue. That understanding has led to a level of successful innovation that we can be proud of.
Q. What are the most important issues facing libraries today?
A. The balancing act between infrastructure and innovation is our most important issue at the BPL. The utilization of limited space in a building that is starting to show its age has begun to put anticipated demands on our budget. I believe the staff and board have done an excellent job so far in dealing with those needs.
Another issue is the change in demand for particular services. Bethlehem is a relatively affluent community with widespread access to high-speed Internet. Those factors may be driving changes in demand for materials.
Q. What do you like best about the BPL?
A. When I get through that last set of sliding glass doors, what really gets me is the community of patrons and staff that fills the space, often to overflowing. When every computer is engaged, every flat surface taken, and every one of those weirdly comfortable chairs in the teen area occupied, you know your library is doing something right.
In the interest of speeding up the process this time, I stood outside the library entrance to gather the signatures I needed to get on the ballot for trustee. I’m glad I did it this way because people seemed to feel freer to discuss what they loved and what they would change about the library. It also gave me an opportunity to meet those who would be affected by my decisions on the board.
Q. What is your vision of the future of this library?
A. More of what we want, less of what we don’t, and the ability to tell the difference. Communities grow and shrink, get older and can even get younger. It never freezes as it is, so neither should the vision for the library.
