Short On Staff, Not On Heart
Kindness Keeps Us Going Strong
By Tara Bannon Williamson
Park Hill Librarian
The pandemic has affected us all in different ways. Many of us are still reeling from the shockwaves that continue to reverberate through our intersectional communities.
The library is no different. Library locations across the country are all trying to do the best we can with what we have left. At the Park Hill Branch Library, we have lost multiple staff due to retirements and other changes of life. In all that accumulates to 110 hours of staffing that has not and cannot be replaced at this time due to continued budget pinches across the City and County of Denver.
Not all locations have been affected the same way, and staff across the city have stepped up remarkably to share the load.
Our most heartfelt wish is for you to continue to grace us with your presence and extend patience to yourself, staff, and your fellow community members. We regret that you may experience longer wait times while on the phone or in person, and the reality is that we are doing our very best. My experience on both sides of the desk with customer service is that losing patience rarely betters the situation.
We want to thank everyone for all the understanding and kindness that has been extended to us over the course of the pandemic. The notes of encouragement and the words of perseverance and appreciation have all been a boon to us and kept us going when we felt our spirits diminish.
If you are new to the neighborhood, please stop by and introduce yourself. We’d love to meet you and give you a tour of your 100-year-old local library. If you have been a lifelong customer of the library, please also stop by and extend to us some grace as we resume circulation services.
Events and space use at the library are very much on our minds, and it is something that each location will need to tread carefully with given the aforementioned staffing and budgeting shortages. Again, I solemnly swear we are doing our best and want to provide the best and the most to our community; we just need to do it thoughtfully as resources and landscapes have irrevocably changed.
Want to help?
• Take the Rise Denver survey at risetogetherdenver.org/
• Consider becoming a member of the Friends Foundation at dplfriends.org/
• Tell a friend, neighbor or coworker about the library and all that we offer. In Park Hill we have two fabulous branches: The Park Hill branch is at 4705 Montview Blvd., and the Pauline Robinson branch is at 5575 E. 33rd Ave.