Huckleberries: City librarian talks her trade, unravels stereotypes

In Huckleberries Gone Wireless today, D.F. Oliveria interviews Coeur d’Alene City Librarian Bette Ammon, who moved to Coeur d’Alene from Missoula two years ago and is looking forward to the opening of the new downtown city library overlooking McEuen Field in mid-August. A complete transcript of the interview is available at Huckleberries Online this morning – www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/hbo.

D.F. Oliveria: When you were a little girl, did you dream of growing up to be a librarian?

Bette Ammon: Nope. I was going to be the best English teacher in the world. But I worked my way through high school and college in the libraries. And it’s what I’m supposed to be doing.

DFO: If you were a library book, which book would you be?

BA: “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak because it personifies independence and creativity.

DFO: Do you stay in touch with former librarian Julie Meier?

BA: I do, but not on a weekly basis. She has donated to the fireplaces in the new library. She’s a library user.

DFO: Are books becoming obsolete?

BA: Absolutely not. We check out up to 15,000 books every month, and it’s growing.

DFO: If the library bond of February 2005 had failed, would you have accepted the job in Coeur d’Alene?

BA: No. The current building is so unsatisfactory.

DFO: What’s the new library’s most impressive feature?

BA: The location. The view. You look across McEuen Field with Tubbs Hill to the left and beyond that … the lake … and Mica Peak beyond that. It’s so much better than a big, tall tower in that spot. It’s for the people.

DFO: Don’t you think the new library is too far away from the center of town?

BA: We are surrounded by libraries. Hayden has one. Post Falls. There is a branch in Athol (and elsewhere). We have them sprinkled throughout the county. We’re on the same system now. You can use your same library card in Hayden or any of the other places – all the way to Wallace. If you’re living in north Coeur d’Alene, you have a library close by. We courier things every other day throughout the system.

DFO: How much space will the new library provide for computer users?

BA: We’ll have a computer lab and several computer clusters throughout the library. We’ll continue to provide wireless service. We’ll have seating along the perimeter and on the terrace overlooking McEuen Field.

DFO: I can think of two librarian stereotypes: Marian The Librarian from “The Music Man” and Mr. Bookman of “Seinfeld” fame. Does either fit the true image of a librarian?

BA: Librarians have tattoos. Librarians play kazoos. Librarians bungee jump. They roller blade and go whitewater rafting. We are you.

DFO: Do you bungee jump?

BA: No, but I just bought my first kayak.

DFO: When is the last time you failed to turn in a library book or audio cassette on time?

BA: I paid a fine three weeks ago for 20 cents. It was two days late. I had loaned something to my daughter. I’m innocent, I tell you.

DFO: What is one thing that people would never guess about you?

BA: I have a canned meat collection from all over the world – Spam and all of its cousins. I have some disgusting octopus from Prague and spork from Canada.

DFO: Why are book fines so cheap (only a dime a day)?

BA: Most libraries don’t think of fines as a revenue source. It’s more of an incentive. We don’t want to drive people away. We want fines to be manageable so they come back again. Kids incur most of the fines. You need to be gentle about things like that.

DFO: Have you ever been contacted by federal agents looking for information under the Patriot Act?

BA: I couldn’t tell you if I had.

DFO: What’s the hottest book in the library now?

BA: “The Secret” (by Rhonda Byrne). It’s been discussed on the Oprah show. But wait. “Harry Potter” will be out in July.