Cynthia Peterson is the chief librarian for the City of Plainview. Peterson has worked at the Unger Memorial Library for almost seven years and she’s been a librarian for more than 40 years.
Peterson got her start as a teacher, she received her first degree at Baylor University and taught for a few years before going back to school at the University of North Texas to pursue a library science degree. She’s originally from the Houston area and also lived in Dallas for a time.
“So I've, I've got a mix of everything except West Texas, until I moved out here,” Peterson said. “You have to learn about your community. And so I had a little bit of a learning curve when I came here.”
The range of services and focus on community are part of what sets public libraries apart from the medical and academic libraries where Peterson worked earlier in her career.
The Unger Memorial Library opened in 1913 and has continued to develop its collection and programming for both children and adults.
Jessica Ogden is a library aide, currently working on her Masters in library science. As Peterson prepares for retirement, she’s been showing Ogden the ropes.
Ogden has lived in Plainview for almost 30 years and the Unger Memorial Library was the first library she’s worked at.
“It was the reading for me that started it initially,” Ogden said of how she became interested in a career in libraries.
But the way libraries can connect people and their interests pulled her in further.
Shortly after coming to the Unger Memorial Library, Peterson noticed ways the library could make those connections more effectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peterson expanded the summer reading program to all-ages.
“What else were people going to do, but read?” Peterson remembered. “And they could get books from us because we started a curbside service.”
Early on in her tenure, Peterson helped establish a YA section for older readers.
“They were inter-filled with the juvenile books, and they'd have a big YA sticker on them,” Peterson said. “And these teens didn't want to go stand there in the juvenile section with all these little kids around them and look for books.”
The Plainview Library specifically serves Hale County, but also sees people from all around West Texas, like Lockney, Tulia, Floydada, and Olton.
The Tahoka-City County Library serves the city of Tahoka, its four school districts, and all of Lynn County. It has been operating since 1931 and the Life Enrichment Center where it is housed expanded space for the library in 1997.
Linda Oages, the library’s director, said she even sees patrons from Lubbock.
“We don't care where you're from, we'd love to have you at the library,” Oages said.
Oages has lived in Tahoka for almost 40 years. Before working at the library, she worked in education, and coached basketball, football, and baseball.
Recently, she saw an opportunity to serve the community in a new way. Last year, the City-County Library began hosting first-responders during story time in the spring and summer.
“And that kind of resonated with me, because a couple of years ago, we had a little girl die in a house fire, and she was hiding from the firemen,” Oages said. “And her dad thought maybe she was just scared of the firemen, so she hid. So once I started working here, it was just my mission to get our kids acquainted with our first responders.”
The City-County Library is a field trips location for nearby schools – including for first responder events – it hosts community events, reunions, funerals, and the library staff also run the Tahoka Pioneer Museum.
Plainview’s library is home to the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society Collection and Peterson has been collaborating with the Historical Commision about helping with its archives.
While libraries are concerned with preserving the past, they are also dedicated to ushering in the future. Peterson, Ogden, and Oages view their role as not just keepers of information, but as facilitators.
“It's kind of like a hospital,” Oages said. “We help everybody with whatever problem.”
With a dedicated YA section, author talks, meet-and-greets, and so much more – Ogden and Peterson say the only limitation is how many books they can fit.
“It's been an interesting time to be a librarian,” Peterson said. “Because I really saw it from that very basic: ‘This is what a library is and does.’ To something much more expansive now.”
The Tahoka City-County Library hosts field trips, cooking classes, and book sales, to name a few. And Oages is always looking for new ways to serve the public.
“Luke, are you still piloting?” She asked the firefighter who had come for story time. “Because I would love to get a helicopter here.”
You can find more information about the Unger Memorial Library and Tahoka City-County Library on their websites.
You can also join the Unger Memorial Library and Texas Tech Public Media for a free screening of the new Independent Lens Film - Free for All: The Public Library, at the Plainview Fair Theater at 7 P.M. on May 6.