This article, by Kelly Wilson, was originally published in the Arizona Daily Star on June 18, 2023.
I came to libraries the way many parents of young children do, through Storytimes. I had never really frequented public libraries prior to having my son, but I knew that libraries are where moms and dads take their young children to socialize and learn literacy skills. Storytimes led me to weekly picture book hauls, children’s programs, and eventually to me applying for a position at the library.
I had been a stay-at-home mom and a foster parent to adults with disabilities for about ten years, when I decided that I really needed some outside stimulation. I began working at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library in 2007. Today I am the managing librarian of the Eckstrom-Columbus Library, and both of my grown children work at public libraries.
I love so many aspects of working at the library. Meeting the diverse youth and adult customers who visit and finding ways to connect them with resources, library programs, and work opportunities is incredibly rewarding. I love watching the parade of toddlers, preschoolers, and babies on their way in and out of Storytime and mitigating the enthusiasm of afterschool youth letting go of the restraints of the school day.
I have worked at 9 of our 27 branches and, at each one, I found myself working with completely unique communities. I love learning how best to work with each of them while always maintaining the core library values of access to information that I hold so dear. While working at Joel D. Valdez Main Library I went back to school for my Masters in Information and Library Sciences and while in school, I was incredibly privileged to be invited to be a part of establishing our renowned Pima County Public Library Seed Library.
The Seed Library has been such a gift to my library career. It has been one of my greatest library joys to watch it grow and spread throughout Pima County. We could not have existed and expanded without the rewarding partnerships we’ve made, and that continue to grow every year. We have established and taken part in national and international forums and skill shares with food and seed advocates from around the globe, as well as partnered with local organizations that have helped us to be able to show our community how to grow plants from seed in our unique desert home.
Among our incredible community partners are the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Mission Garden, Native Seeds/SEARCH, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, University of Arizona Garden Kitchen, Pima County Native Plant Nursery, Las Milpitas Community Farm, Tucson Organic Gardeners, Community Gardens of Tucson, Community & School Garden Program, Santa Cruz Farmers Market, Iskashitaa Refugee Network, and many more.
These partners have provided training, resources, assistance, seeds, and rich programs for our friends and neighbors to learn from and enjoy. Each organization has provided us with support and opportunities beyond what we could have ever done on our own. As Cicero said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” I would add “If you have a garden and a library and wonderful partnerships, you have everything you need to run a Seed Library.”
In addition to the Seed Library Team, Kelly Wilson serves on the Library’s Restorative Practices for Youth Team, which earned a Top Innovator Award from the Urban Libraries Council in 2018.
