For the Love of Learning
Mar 15, 2021 07:17PM ● By Gabrielle Lewis
Libraries serve as havens for the pursuit of knowledge, providing far more resources than the ability to check out books. These public spaces are the pinnacle of free information gathering, offering the discovery of nearly infinite amounts of information. President & CEO of the Howard County Library Systems (HCLS) Tonya Aikens fondly describes libraries as community bumping grounds, a place where residents from all walks of life and social circles come together to learn from one another.
The daughter of an educator, Aikens has a long history of spending time in the library, even becoming a library assistant as her first job in high school. She later earned a Master’s of Library of Information Science from San Jose State University and worked for California library systems for more than twenty years. A natural community builder, Aikens dedicated her career to initiating community engagement and sought to provide innovative technology to over 2 million residents in the multiple districts she oversaw. After the opportunity arose for Aikens and her family to relocate to Howard County, she has employed her vast expertise to contribute to her role as President & CEO of HLCS.
Howard County Library Systems (HCLS) is among the best nationwide, consistently receiving the highest ranking attained by fewer than one percent of libraries in the United States. Aikens shares that the mission of the library systems is to provide accessible transformative education and an improved quality of life for Howard County. Although Aiken’s position encompasses many responsibilities, one of her main duties is to analyze and address local resource allocation. In the wake of COVID-19, an unstable job market and the persistent racial injustice in the last year, the libraries have pivoted their operations to provide a holistic collection of resources for members of the community.
The many initiatives spearheaded by Aikens and the library system staff focus on multiple facets of social justice initiatives. The library provides an extensive collection of anti-racism resources, located on hclibrary.org, that aid in the journey of understanding and addressing systemic racism. The list of available resources contain a diverse group of learning methods that address the intersectional aspects of advocacy including access to healthcare, job opportunities, criminal justice reform, and housing access.
“These conversations are aimed to build bridges and increase understanding and empathy. It also helps us determine -- what are we going to do about it? It takes some action if there’s going to be change,” shares Aikens. The online resources are just the beginning of their commitment to social equity. HCLS hosts its own podcast called HiJinks, which has produced several eye-opening episodes that focus on how to define and address systemic discrimination. On the 37th episode entitled Equity and Action, the discussion focuses on how youth leaders in Howard County organized a virtual march on Washington and their involvement with the local chapters of the NAACP in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Along with individual research activities, the library also hosts a virtual event called the Longest Table, where members of the community are encouraged to come together for thoughtful discussion and community building. The last event had 400 people in attendance and featured an insightful conversation with Daryl Davis, musician and advocate famous for his documentary Accidental Courtesy, focusing on his past experiences with members of the KKK. Aikens also facilitates frequent internal meetings called ‘REAL (Racial Equity At the Library) Conversations’, where employees discuss readings and video prompts, share their experiences, build empathy and understanding, and discuss how to integrate their insight to build a better Howard County.
Although the current social climate necessitates change in many ways, there is an opportunity for community growth on the horizon. Aikens encourages residents of Howard County to connect online or by phone to share their ideas on how to make HCLS even better. “I really believe that Libraries are equity-centric community builders. Spaces that are both economic drivers and aspirational. Places where people tap into information about the things they aspired to learn and do, and be”, said Aikens.