Hawaii’s state
librarian tackling
difficult issuesWith a small budget and
overtaxed staff, Jo Ann Schindler
aims for creative solutions
Jo Ann Mitsue Schindler, a local woman who has spent most of her career in Hawaii's libraries, seems a natural fit as Hawaii state librarian, but it's not a position she ever anticipated taking.
"Never. Never. Never," she declared with a laugh in her basement office, a spot that became a hot seat for her two predecessors. "People are telling me congratulations, and I'm thinking, 'Am I nuts?' and they say, 'Yes, you are!'"
State librarians are typically known more for their quiet style than for churning up controversy. But not in Hawaii, at least not lately.
State Librarian Bart Kane was fired in 1998 over a contract that allowed a profit-oriented company in North Carolina to choose books for Hawaii's public libraries, a move designed to save money that was denounced as akin to putting McDonald's in charge of school lunches.
His successor, Virginia Lowell, retired in June after weathering sharp criticism by the governor and a few legislators who considered her inflexible and objected to cuts in library hours she ordered in response to budget shortfalls.
Schindler, whose natural inclination is to "curl up and read a book," says she doesn't relish the prospect of wading into politics.
But she recognizes that the role of politician/diplomat comes with the $95,000-a-year job she accepted when the Board of Education elevated her from acting state librarian to the top post Oct. 16.
"Most of us didn't enter the profession to do that," she said. "Most of us are not real comfortable in that role, but that is a very important aspect of the job."
Her colleagues say she has a refreshing personal style that should help her succeed, as well as the intelligence and experience needed to manage the 50 far-flung branches of the Hawaii State Public Library System.
Schindler, 54, came up through the ranks in Hawaii, starting as branch manager of the public library in Kamuela on the Big Island in 1979.
"We are just thrilled, not only for the staff, but for the people of Hawaii that Jo Ann Schindler was chosen state librarian," said Sandy Akana, branch manager at the Kailua Library. "I don't think they could have chosen a better leader."
"She is just so knowledgeable and a very, very easy person to get along with," Akana said. "She's fair. She's reasonable. She's always open to new ideas."
One sign of Schindler's style came on the day she became acting state librarian, July 1. She immediately sent a memo to public library staff statewide, outlining challenges and possible initiatives, and seeking their input through a survey. Such efforts have encouraged librarians statewide.
"Everyone in my branch was very happy that Jo Ann was appointed," said John Clark, branch manager of the Kahului Public Library. "She's a very good communicator, and that in itself has raised morale higher than it had been for some time. ... Virginia wasn't as communicative and Bart hadn't been, either."
The financial constraints that hobbled her predecessors have not gone away, however.
Roughly 800,000 people, including part-time residents, have Hawaii library cards, making the system one of the most heavily used in the country. But its budget, less than $25 million in general funds this year, falls far short of its peers. Per capita funding for libraries in Hawaii is $19 a year, compared with a national average of $29, including private donations, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The system's staff is stretched thin. There are 93 vacancies out of 525 full-time authorized positions, and the latter figure itself is down from 615 authorized positions a decade ago, according to Keith Fujio, administrative services officer.
Funding was recently restored to allow recruiting for 40 of those vacancies, but even that will take time. Jobs are often filled internally, creating other vacancies, and recruitment is slowed by civil service regulations, a shortage of would-be librarians and a hiring freeze in the personnel office.
"We hope we will fill some of these positions and hopefully be able to restore some of the operating hours and give a little more flexibility to our staff in setting up their schedules," Schindler said. "It's very critical now because the vacancies are so high."
Librarians have been asked to recommend adjustments in their schedules, based on staffing, community demand and the hours of other libraries in their area, she said. In March, Lowell instructed libraries statewide to cut their hours to no more than 40 a week, which ended weekend hours in some cases.
"We certainly would like to make any adjustments as soon as we can," she said.
Filling vacancies is Schindler's top concern. Other priorities that she shares with her staff include improving the libraries' technology, providing more computer training for staff and building the materials budget. She has set aside $30,000 for special-needs projects, encouraging librarians to experiment with new materials designed to reach out to populations in areas where reading scores are low, for example, or where English is not the first language.
"We don't have much money, but it's really important to encourage the creativity of our staff and use projects as demonstration models for other libraries," she said.
Born in Honolulu, Schindler attended Saint Andrew's Priory and graduated from Punahou. She earned her bachelor's at the University of Hawaii and master's at the University of California-Berkeley, then worked as a librarian in San Francisco and Los Angeles before moving back to Hawaii.
She was the reference librarian at Pearl City and headed research and evaluation for the Office of Library Services before spending 15 years in charge of the Business, Science and Technology section of the Hawaii State Library. In that role, she was named Hawaii State Public Library System Employee of the Year in 1999 as well as "MCI Cybrarian of the Year."
She became director of the Hawaii State Library, the main branch, in July 2002. Schindler's husband, Mark, teaches physics and astronomy at Honolulu Community College, and they share a passion for science-fiction movies.
"She's very intelligent, very personable, and she has good ideas," said Holly Richards, executive director of the Hawaii Library Foundation. "It's been very hard to be a leader in state government, to be able to go forward while facing budget cuts on a continual basis. I think Jo Ann is going to be able to handle it. She is going to be able to bring people together and do the very best job possible."
Touching her close-cropped hair, which is sprinkled with silver, Schindler said she expects the white to outnumber the black by the end of her three-year term.
