The beautiful new Marksbury branch library needs bilingual leadership to thrive | Opinion

The Lexington Public Library’s newest branch is losing its manager. After six years of short-term leadership and long gaps between appointments, the vibrant community once centered around the Village Library has languished. The library’s administration has an opportunity now to reestablish the previous model of success and honor the commitments they made 20 years ago by hiring a bilingual community leader to helm Village’s replacement, the Marksbury Family Branch.

In 2002, longtime resident and social worker Susy Aparicio, a native of Ecuador, opened a small Spanish-language library off Versailles Road, la Biblioteca Hispana. This humble initiative aimed to help the growing Spanish-speaking community access materials and services in their language. Initially unaffiliated with the Public Library, Aparicio and her volunteers built a collection that surpassed the Public Library’s Spanish offerings and established a network of supportive organizations and businesses.

Two years later, the Public Library absorbed Aparicio’s growing organization, opening the Village Library with a promise to carry on its mission of outreach. Under the leadership of Kathleen Imhoff and the compassionate direction of Betty Abdmishani, a Cuban-American immigrant, the Village Library became a hub for Lexington’s Hispanic community.

Opening day was a fully bilingual celebration filled with traditional Mexican dancers, puppet shows, and book giveaways. Betty Abdmishani was a pivotal figure, ensuring the library was more than just a place to check out books — it was a community center, a support group, and a lifeline for many.

Betty and her staff cultivated and expanded the relationships Aparicio had begun, bringing dozens of partnering organizations into Village to expand offerings for all residents. Under her leadership, Village instituted the city’s first free homework help program, eventually serving more than 700 children a month (I was the math guy; librarians tend to hate it).

She described the branch as “a referral agency, a school, a daycare, and a store.” However, her community-centered approach didn’t sit well with everyone.

After Imhoff and key supportive board members departed in 2009, the new Hammond administration began pulling back support for Village’s partnerships and bilingual staff. When Betty retired in 2018, the administration refused to consider multiple bilingual applicants, leading to community and staff discontent.

The Village Library saw a dramatic 25% drop in daily visitor count due to short-term managers and administrative neglect, as revealed by a request made under our Open Records Act. Marksbury Family Branch has not reversed this trend, failing so far to engage the local Hispanic community effectively.

This is by no means the fault of the dedicated front-line staff, who remain committed to helping anyone who comes through their doors. A long-term lack of administrative support and community outreach from leadership has led to stagnating connections with local residents.

One local community leader and advocate suggested that the Public Library’s Board would be wise to establish an Advisory Committee specific to the new library, as a way to maintain an ongoing connection with residents in the area who are often hard to reach.

Now under the leadership of Executive Director Heather Dieffenbach, the library finds itself again at the same crossroads with the manager role on Versailles Road. She and the board will decide whether to seize this opportunity to recommit to the community outreach that brought them to Cardinal Valley. Or, if they stay the course, the new Marksbury Family Branch might continue as a beautiful, underused monument to the community that once thrived there.

Residents can voice their support for hiring a bilingual community leader for the new branch by contacting Heather Dieffenbach or by attending the upcoming board meeting at the Central Library, on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 4:30 pm. Updates will be posted at lexbiblioteca.org.

Scott Horn is a software engineer and serves as co-director and librarian for the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. He worked for 10 years at the Village and Northside libraries.