Christina Kahler: Welcome to The Vault. I'm Christina Kahler, your host for today's episode. Today we're talking about something that educates and inspires our communities in so many ways, public libraries. For many of us, public libraries bring back memories from childhood, scanning the shelves, checking out books and attending community events.
And modern libraries serve an even broader purpose. They're cultural centers, technology hubs, and they really are places where opportunity and access come together. And that vision for modern libraries came together in a major way in Omaha recently with the opening of the Central Library.
Today we have with us Adrienne Perry, CEO of the Omaha Public Library Foundation. We're thrilled to have you here, Adrienne. Thanks so much for joining us on The Vault.
Adrienne Perry: Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.
Christina Kahler: It's so great to see you in this spot at the Library Foundation.
Adrienne Perry: Thank you, thank you. It's a new spot for me. I'm just getting my feet wet. If the Central Library project was 24 hours in a day, I came in right at like 11:45 PM at night.
Christina Kahler: Yeah. Tell us kind of how you landed here and maybe how your passion marries up with your new job.
Adrienne Perry: I would love to. I spent over two decades at a fellow Omaha institution, like First National, Borsheim's Fine Jewelry and Gifts. There I began as an entry-level marketing specialist, and then I retired as Chief Revenue Officer.
I think the through line, when I made the move to the Library Foundation, is this idea of patron experience or of guest services or of customer experience. So, for me, it felt very familiar to come from an environment of working on a sales floor with a sales team and with an organization that has their administration above the sales floor to then now work on behalf of the entire system, but be based in Central Library, which is a thriving branch as you know, but then to also have the OPL administration team there and to be one of their philanthropic partners that exists.
Christina Kahler: You know, as we think about libraries, I think oftentimes people have their branch, right? They have one building. I do.
Adrienne Perry: Yes, which is yours? Which is yours?
Christina Kahler: Millard.
Adrienne Perry: Oh, of course!
Christina Kahler: We think about the system more broadly. There are many libraries in the Omaha Public Library system. So, do you want to tell us a bit more about the system and the Foundation's support of the entire system?
Adrienne Perry: So, the OPL branches, as you kindly and correctly point out, are hyper-local to their communities. And those branches look wildly different from each other and wildly different from all of the other branches. So, there's 13 branches that span Douglas County. The Omaha Public Library system is the only library system that serves all of Douglas County. So, no matter which sort of far corner of the county that you're in, if your residence is inside county limits, then you have the ability to get your library card and utilize the services in a free and accessible manner.
I've gotten to know the branches during these six months that I've been in my role. They really are tailored to their environment. So, for example, Saddlebrook is not only a library, but it's also a community center and it's a school. And so you have that model that exists.
Abby Sorensen and Florence are community centers and libraries. Millard is the highest circulating library, it's the busiest. It's one of the biggest. More books come in and out of Millard, except maybe now we've seen with Central Library. But Millard and Elkhorn are larger for programming as well as for big robust story times as well.
Christina Kahler: Yes.
Adrienne Perry: What the Foundation does is support all of the branches where public funding ends. And I think this is an interesting nuance, Christina, that even I didn't fully know coming into this role. Public funding, so our taxpayer dollars that support the library system, fund the most important asset within the system, and that is the people. So, the teams that work for OPL. And then it also funds the buildings. So, things like HVACs and skylights and things that keep the building open. Again, to come back to our retail model, they can open the doors. Public funding allows libraries to open the doors and to service patrons. Not much else.
And that's where the Foundation, as well as OPL's other fundraising entity, the Friends of OPL, their money helps create a community that exists inside each of those branches.
Christina Kahler: That's really important work. You mentioned Central Library. And what an exciting time it has been for the community to experience Central Library. It just opened about a month ago.
Adrienne Perry: That's correct.
Christina Kahler: And it is buzzing. We were just there over the weekend and I've been once before as well, and it is thoughtful and beautiful and you can see how it's creating community.
Adrienne Perry: Yes, and that's really, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what it's trying to do.
Christina Kahler: I'm wondering if you'll talk with us a bit about the vision and then kind of how the project came to life.
Adrienne Perry: Absolutely! So, Central Library has been a catalyst for change across the system. And we knew that it would be, but perhaps maybe not to the level that it is. But I'll give you the month-one stats and then kind of unwind a bit, like how did we get to this moment?
In the first month, we have seen over 70,000 people. I mean, that blows the rest of the attendance numbers from the branches combined out of the water.
Christina Kahler: Wow.
Adrienne Perry: So, 70,000 patrons have walked through the doors. Okay, get this. 38,000 books have been checked out.
Christina Kahler: Unbelievable.
Adrienne Perry: Staggering. It's staggering.
Christina Kahler: So, to give us a bit of perspective on that, can you compare it to another library or the system as a whole?
Adrienne Perry: So, in a full year, OPL will typically circulate a little over 4 million books and materials. We're escalating that number real quick here.
Christina Kahler: It's growing. Rapidly.
Adrienne Perry: There's been 87 events, 4,000 new library cards generated.
Christina Kahler: Unbelievable.
Adrienne Perry: Unbelievable. So, you see this scope of utilization was what the project desired, but as we pull it back a couple of years, the project really starts with the idea of what could a library be for a community and what does a library look like at this time?
As the project began in 2020 and 2021, a thoughtful group of individuals from the OPL system, from Heritage Omaha that ran the Central Library project, as well as from the foundation, but really from community members, to say what is it you want to see in a library? And so, there was an overwhelming response to say we want, the community wants places to gather.
Christina Kahler: We want to come together.
Adrienne Perry: Exactly. We want to be in community and wanted to see more opportunities to experience programming. And with that as a lot of the scaffolding of the project, a larger tour began to look at what are modern libraries like now, both here in America, but we looked a lot at the Calgary Library. And then we also looked abroad at some Nordic country libraries too to say, okay, how does a community utilize these libraries in different areas? And all of that went into the design and build of Central Library that now is what we see as this catalyst for change on 72nd and Dodge.
Christina Kahler: Yeah. You know, I think about all of the areas for kind of convening and either spending time by yourself, kind of pondering, or with a group. All of those things exist. And then the availability of what you have in the catalog with that incredible robot.
Adrienne Perry: The Book Bot.
Christina Kahler: Yes, yes. You want to talk about that?
Adrienne Perry: Oh, I'd love to. The ASRS, or the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System, or affectionately called by the staff, the Book Bot.
Christina Kahler: Book Bot.
Adrienne Perry: The Book Bot is essentially the core of Central Library's building, and the building was built around it. And, they are two large towers that move up and down and then they have these little tiny hooks and they pull out these bins and inside the bins, one tower is genealogy, local history and archives, and the rest are books and materials. And they're easily retrieved if a patron like oh, I'm looking for, I'm looking for this specific book or I am look for, I just watched the Laura Dave adaptation on Apple about the last thing he told me, but I want to read that now and it says it's in central storage? You kind of get these quizzical looks of like, where's central storage? It's in the Book Bot. And then it pulls it and about five minutes later it ends up on a conveyor belt to you. Which is -
Christina Kahler: It's really cool.
Adrienne Perry: It's really cool! What the ASRS really allows us to do is twofold. One, to house collections for the community. So now it's a spot where documents, pictures, maps, not just OPL's collection, but also offering it as a community collective as well. And then the other benefit is it frees up space by not utilizing book stacks. There is more space for community to gather. There's more space for programming. There's more space to learn different types of knowledge, which you have seen, like to sew or 3D printing.
Christina Kahler: Yes – I saw that in action. Amazing. Also, there is a ton of incredible art.
Adrienne Perry: There is. What we now have is the largest public local art collection in the city in a library that's free and accessible to see.
Christina Kahler: Almost like a retail experience. There's coffee. Yes, and lots of places to sit. Beautiful art. The best and most interesting new books to peruse. And a really happening children's spot.
Adrienne Perry: Floor two is happening. Oh my gosh, 150 kids at story time. I came out, funny story, I came out of my office and I was like, oh, there is the Omaha Symphony. And they are leading through a few pieces of string quartet and instrumentals before they do the story time. So, you're like, oh, wow. I mean, I'm not going back to take a call, I'm gonna sit here for a second. Sometimes a dinosaur walks out. Penelope the dinosaur is here for story time. So, second floor is really popping. And then you have the creative space and the creative technology and Do Space and makerspace.
Christina Kahler: My son was looking at the podcast studio equipment.
Adrienne Perry: Oh, studio equipment. You have the media studio, the podcast studio. Maybe they're entrepreneurs, maybe they have an idea that they want to get off the ground and here's a free way to do it. Big printers, ways to record your podcast, right? Like you can take that as a young student or as an entrepreneur and now you can lift off from it.
And then you get to three, which is genealogy and local history, which does have a bit more of a reading room feel. But like spoiler alert, genealogists are really lively people. So even there, there's conversation, there's inquiry, there's sharing back and forth what people learn. So, I promise, and this is also, I think, a fun thing: There is no shushing in the library.
Christina Kahler: That's great.
Adrienne Perry: It's supposed to be active and loud and you know, have a hum with it. And with 2,000 people walking through the doors each day, it's humming.
Christina Kahler: Yes, there's absolutely a hum and an energy and it's just all the different types of experiences that you're describing. Thinking about some of the special things that the library offers. Do you want to tell us about those things?
Adrienne Perry: Absolutely, because it's sort of like my favorite party trick to show, especially on tours like, are you aware that we have a seed library? There are drawers and drawers and drawers of different seeds, whether it's fruits, vegetables, pollinators, flowers, that then patrons can check out, up to 15 seed packets a month. And you don't bring them back, right? You don't have to harvest them the next year and be like, "I am returning my seeds." You get them for free. It's a personal fan favorite for me. The Omaha Seed Library is really robust across library systems, and we have a lot of great interest in it from the community too.
And then there's other things when you think of "I've checked out" but you're really, by having a library card, you get to simply receive these as benefits. And those would be the Discovery Pass. The Discovery Pass connects our community institutions that are ticketed and allows you to essentially receive that ticket complimentary. So, that could be the Children's Museum or Lauritzen Gardens. New for the first time ever this year is the zoo. And they're limited. So, I think the best way to describe that service is it gives you a taste of these institutions. It doesn't replicate a full membership.
And then the Do Space, which is the makerspace, tech, and creative technology area, both within Central Library and within the Abrahams branch on 90th Street. That also allows you to check out things like sewing machines or a 14-foot hoop arm for quilting. 3D printers. Um, textile designs. Cricuts. The Cricuts, you know, the things that we can bedazzle our coffee cup with.
Christian Kahler: Thing you can check out and try.
Adrienne Perry: Yeah! You can reserve the equipment, bring your own project, or check out a box and learn the basics or take a class. And this is, again, what I think what do I do as the Foundation, what does the Foundation serve to exist? It is for that. It is for that student saying, I want to learn this particular item and I can come to the library and I can experience that and I can learn that knowledge for free.
Christina Kahler: Yeah. There are many examples of that. So, you can see how that's happening.
Adrienne Perry: What my hope is, thinking of those hyper-local branches, can this investment lift all boats so that we just see utilization across the system take off?
Christina Kahler: I think it will.
Adrienne Perry: Fingers crossed.
Christina Kahler: So, as you think about Omaha Central Library and, you know, all of the support around it from the community, what does it mean to you and others when you think about that type of community support?
Adrienne Perry: I think it's a really well-timed and poised question because you have a community that said, yes, we see this need and especially from the philanthropic community. We are making a large bet that this is a civic institution. And maybe it's one of the most important civic institutions, that is the library. And so, the community, the philanthropic community, and all different types of communities have said, no, this is what we want and are now utilizing it and creating the space where they can be together. And this, I think, becomes, from the fundraising side: How do we continue this? How, now that we have attracted people who have said, yes, we want this, we built it and, man, are they coming. And now continuing to then create opportunities for any type of giving. Maybe that is a $5 gift. Maybe that is a $5,000 gift. Maybe that's a $50,000 major gift. But, all of that really having the focus of how do we continue this community access that's free and accessible and really makes the digital divide smaller and also creates a space for every single member of our community.
Christina Kahler: You know, when you think about cities, why are libraries so important?
Adrienne Perry: It's a really, I think that's a really astute observation. You know - why do we continue to invest in libraries as civic institutions? Omaha and Central Library are really designed for community. That's really the path we take as a library system. Heavy on programming. Last year, we did about 3,000 programs that reached about 100,000 patrons.
So, having a lot of activities, if you will, for patrons to experience. But then also offering the digital aspect. We might think phones are ubiquitous, but they're not for all members of our community. So, ensuring that there's free and accessible internet and technology. So that, whether that's job training or workforce readiness. Helping to apply for different types of services. But that we have a space within our community where this is available for our patrons. And I think that's really what we saw with Central Library and with the philanthropic community saying this is a critical need. And while we have a great library system in Omaha, we see that it can continue to lift up all areas.
Christina Kahler: You know, that digital access is so incredibly important and when you think about the library and literacy and equity and the importance there, tell us a bit more about that.
Adrienne Perry: I think when we think about literacy programs, we do think of the library and that early literacy component. Both for kids in preschool and for kids as early and young readers. For the summer reading program, which is one of the most beloved and recognized programs.
Christina Kahler: Yes. Fantastic. So fun.
Adrienne Perry: It's so good.
Christina Kahler: Yeah, like core memories of summer reading.
Adrienne Perry: Right. I mean, it's no personal pan pizza, but it's real close for those of us children in the 80s.
Christina Kahler: That's right.
Adrienne Perry: Yeah.
Christina Kahler: Yeah. And so I think, with the digital divide, that's now where we see this too. That fundamentally, literacy means having literacy programs, but also having technology programs. Having access to that technology, but then understanding what that access means and how to use it responsibly. That's a key part of where the library now performs, if you will, for its services for the community.
Christina Kahler: Absolutely. That's such a great point and it also makes me think about digital eBooks.
Adrienne Perry: Yes! Oh my gosh. Yeah!
Christina Kahler: So much Libby.
Adrienne Perry: Yeah, Libby, I'm a big fan.
Christina Kahler: And, if you know, people don't know that you can get books delivered to your app and your Kindle, would you want to talk a bit about that?
Adrienne Perry: I would love to, but first you have to tell me, what are you reading right now?
Christina Kahler: So, what I'm reading right now on Libby, yes, on my Kindle, is The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. And you know, Harvard professor talking about positive outlook and mindset and how that contributes to the ways we show up in all parts of our life and how it's advantageous. It's been great. So, that's my current book.
Adrienne Perry: And you're reading it on your Kindle?
Christina Kahler: I'm reading it on my Kindle.
Adrienne Perry: Through your Libby app?
Christina Kahler: Via Libby, checked out from the library.
Adrienne Perry: It's amazing. So, that is, so you are one of half of all patrons that use digital materials versus physical materials. Omaha has about a 50-50 split between how patrons like to receive their materials. Actually, OPL just produced a really fantastic blog on the price of acquiring materials and how expensive it is because you're fairly compensating the author for their work, you're buying the materials. The materials from the physical side won't last forever. If it's a highly checked-out book, then that book has to be replaced. But then with Libby and digital titles, you essentially lease them for your collection. So, you lease them and then potentially, based on checkouts, you may add additional licenses.
A digital material can run up toward $80 per title, per license. A physical book is going to be closer to $25, but then you know that you might have to rebuy it over time. The collections team at OPL is looking at: What does the hold list look like? How many titles do we need of all different types to satisfy patron demand? Nobody wants to be like, "Oh great, I'm number 125 on this waiting list." But that's also part of the joy of navigating your library system. There is a bit of delayed gratification that you have versus purchasing a title was well. So, it's a little bit of a give and take.
Christina Kahler: Also, your book club bags. Those are really cool.
Adrienne Perry: Aren't they really fun? Inside, you can check out a whole bag and it'll have 10 to 12 copies of the title in there so your whole book club can read it. And, questions to guide your discussion.
Christina Kahler: I know that you are an avid reader. Curious what you're reading or if you have a favorite. And then also if you'd want to share a book that you think might have universal appeal or something easy to step into.
Adrienne Perry: So, I do I read quite a bit. I've read all my life. My OG favorite books ever are The Baby-Sitters Club.
Christina Kahler: Oh, they're so good.
Adrienne Perry: They're the best! Right?
Christina Kahler: I can't believe you said that. I loved Baby-Sitters Club so much.
Adrienne Perry: Love 'em! Love 'em! This is how I got hooked on reading.
Christina Kahler: Yes! Yes!
Adrienne Perry: Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitters Club.
Chritina Kahler: Same.
Adrienne Perry: Right?
Christina Kahler: Yep.
Adrienne Perry: I'm reading—I just finished a murder mystery, or kind of mystery thriller called The Last Thing He Told Me that's being adapted right now. And I'm just starting Palaces for the People, which talks about how civic institutions, like libraries, really serve their communities in different ways and through different models.
Christina Kahler: How fitting.
Adrienne Perry: Yeah, I know. So those are the books I'm reading. Generally, I'm reading three or four books in a month. And then I do this super nerdy thing. You wanna know the nerdy thing I do?
Christina Kahler: I've read it.
Adrienne Perry: You have?
Christina Kahler: You're blogging about it. Yeah, you're posting it. It's like a Substack, yes?
Adrienne Perry: I'm like writing book reports in my 40s.
Christina Kahler: Yeah, yeah. It's great.
Adrienne Perry: It kind of helps me. I started doing it because I read so much. I started doing it on Instagram first to be like, okay, what did I read? And then people would ask, what should I read? I'd be like, well, let me look back. Oh, Pachinko was really good. And I also think this book might be really good. And then that kind of grew into what if I did an exercise where I had to synthesize more of what I was reading and then do a long-form review of that? So now, a year-plus later, I know on the first of each month I need to make sure my content is published and hopefully low on typos.
Christina Kahler: It is. It's fantastic. And you talked about how, in your most recent post, all of these different themes kind of come together. The things you're reading, even though the books are vastly different.
Adrienne Perry: Vastly different. And I think it's that "woo" moment. And maybe it's the universe. Maybe it's that you're looking for patterns. But I do think books find you for a reason. And they find you at a time. And then, whether instinctively or not, other themes kind of hook onto that. So, I've been reading a lot about close communities lately. Whether that's religious or nonreligious communities. The idea of when you start to pull on the seams of your life, what happens when things start to unravel? And I think there's a lot of interesting growth that can happen there too. So, thanks. Thanks for reading.
Christina Kahler: I love it! Hey, I'm a follower. I'm a fan. I think it's great!
Since Central Library has opened, is there a story or a moment that sticks with you as memorable?
Adrienne Perry: Absolutely. April 19th is when we opened it. It was a Sunday. Noon was when the doors would open and the ribbon cutting would happen. And I remember getting to Central a couple hours before opening and there were people already sitting in the parking lot waiting. And that was the moment you thought: Oh. Oh, wait a second. This could be really big. This is going to be really big. And then standing and looking at that crowd, you're just sort of in awe to be like, oh my gosh. Omaha knows how to show up.
Christina Kahler: Yes.
Adrienne Perry: To think of a library opening having the same level of interest as major events.
Christina Kahler: Truly.
Adrienne Perry: Exactly. You're like, this is, it makes you feel a lot of hometown pride.
Christina Kahler: It does.
Adrienne Perry: Your fellow citizens.
Christina Kahler: It absolutely does. When you think about the library and the impact and what success looks like five to ten years from now.
Adrienne Perry: Oh my gosh, I think about this a lot. Um, you know the library system, with Central Library and with the investment in increased public funding, is scaling to grow. So, the foundation is also scaling to meet the demand and to scale right alongside the Omaha Public Library system. So I think of: Okay, what is a baseline of success in five years is more people in our community understand that their library, there's a way to donate to support their library. Right? Because the foundation has flown under the radar a little bit.
Christina Kahler: Very important to understand.
Adrienne Perry: Yeah, yeah. That you have this if you're passionate about the library, you have a way to support it. On a global level, though, or on a bigger level, I would like to be able to say we have enough materials in our whole system, the whole OPL system, where we could do a citywide library card drive. And to me, that says we've hit success. We've hit a critical point. Because as it is right now, we're still under-collected. I made that word up, but let's go with it. Our collections sit under similar cities for amount of materials available per person on a per capita basis. So, if we could lift the collections to meet or exceed what we need for our community, we could hold a library card drive. And then the whole city, like then again, now the whole wheel is really turning for that. So that's what I - hopefully I can come back in five to ten years and sit with you here and say like Christina, we did it. We're doing a library card drive. And that would be success.
Christina Kahler: We would love that. And please come back at that time. And you can also share your most current reading stack with us.
Adrienne Perry: There'll be one.
Christina Kahler: Adrian, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing the story of this exciting new chapter for Omaha.
Adrienne Perry: Thank you so much for having me. It's been a joy to sit and tell you these stories and thank you to FNBO for your critical support of OPL and OPLF and actually for all that you do in the community.
Christina Kahler: We really are fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community. So, thank you again.
And to our listeners, thank you for joining us today on The Vault.
We'll see you next time.
