The East Lansing Public Library is celebrating its 100th birthday this weekend.
One of its longest-standing employees, Phyllis Thode, has been working there for the past 21 years.
She’s seen the library grow from its roots in the social hall of the People’s Church, to the old city Hall Building, to its current location on Abbot Road.
WKAR's Megan Schellong spoke with Thode to discuss what’s kept her at the public library after two decades, and why it matters to her.
Interview Highlights
On how she got her start at the library
Our children were approaching college years. And I was, I'm a teacher. And so, I always had my summers off. And I thought, you know, we don't want them to graduate with a lot of college debt. So, I should probably try to find a job for the summers. And it ended up being the greatest choice. I started in the summer of 2002, and have been here ever since.
On her favorite memory at the library
There's so many, but I have to be honest. We used to, we partnered with MSU for a long time on the One Book One Community program. So, it was where the whole community gathered with MSU freshmen to read one book and talk about it in many different arenas. And meeting some of the heroes in our world like Sonia Sotomayor came and was in our library, John Lewis, Bryan Stevenson, meeting some of those civil rights icons has been truly amazing. And also one other thing we've had, we were lucky to have Timothy Busfield come and do some performing arts workshops. And we also have concerts that are so meaningful and just the storytimes. It's really hard to pick one favorite but every year there's something new to add to the list.
On the things the library is planning for in the future
We're hoping to have a children's garden installed. We also have some plans to expand the Maker Studio, update the Maker Studio, because our 3D printers have been running for a long time on parts that need to be replaced. So we would love to expand that. We have a lot of different challenges for our 100 years. We're starting 100 years, 100 books. So we're giving people a challenge to read 100 books from this March to next March. And hopefully we'll get some people to join onto that challenge. We also have a centennial book club where we're reading a book from each decade that we're open. And we're always striving to be the best we can be.
Interview Transcript
Megan Schellong:
The East Lansing Public Library is celebrating its 100th birthday this weekend.
One of its longest-standing employees, Phyllis Thode, has been working there for the past 21 years.
She’s seen the library grow from its roots in the social hall of the People’s Church, to the old City Hall building, to its current location on Abbot Road.
Thode joins me now to discuss what’s kept her at the public library after two decades and why it matters to her.
Phyllis, thanks for joining us.
Phyllis Thode: You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.
Schellong: How did you get your start at the East Lansing Public Library?
Thode: Well, our children were approaching college years. And I was, I'm a teacher. And so, I always had my summers off. And I thought, you know, we don't want them to graduate with a lot of college debt. So, I should probably try to find a job for the summers. And it ended up being the greatest choice. I started in the summer of 2002, and have been here ever since.
Schellong: What is the thing that’s kept you at the library for more than two decades now?
Thode: I love the fact that the library is free and open to the public, that anyone can come to our library and use our resources. We have computers that are available. We have so many diverse programs that are here. We have a Maker Studio that's full of STEAM-educated programs. And just the people, the people I work with, and the people that come to the library. They're like family.
Schellong: Do you have a favorite memory at the library?
Thode: There's so many, but I have to be honest. We used to, we partnered with MSU for a long time on the One Book One Community program. So, it was where the whole community gathered with MSU freshmen to read one book and talk about it in many different arenas. And meeting some of the heroes in our world like Sonia Sotomayor came and was in our library, John Lewis, Bryan Stevenson, meeting some of those civil rights icons has been truly amazing. And also one other thing we've had, we were lucky to have Timothy Busfield come and do some performing arts workshops. And we also have concerts that are so meaningful and just the storytimes. It's really hard to pick one favorite, but every year there's something new to add to the list.
Schellong: What are some of the biggest changes and differences you’ve seen since your start at the library?
Thode: Well, in 2015, the library was renovated because of a very generous donation of $1.5 million dollars from a patron who appreciated what we do here. And that opened up the building. It used to be kind of two buildings with like, we didn't, we couldn't go through the whole building in a circle. But now the children's area has expanded and it's fabulous. The flow of the building is so much better. We added a bird sanctuary last year, that's lovely. We have a mural painted on the outside of the building now. But it's just a lovely space, and it's very mobile. So, we have a lot of flexibility in how we have programs and have people in the library. And we're really excited about the weekend party for the celebration of our 100th anniversary.
Schellong: And speaking of things you’re excited about, what kind of advances is the library working on making in the future?
Thode: We're hoping to have a children's garden installed. We also have some plans to expand the Maker Studio, update the Maker Studio, because our 3D printers have been running for a long time on parts that need to be replaced. So we would love to expand that. We have a lot of different challenges for our 100 years. We're starting 100 years, 100 books. So we're giving people a challenge to read 100 books from this March to next March. And hopefully we'll get some people to join onto that challenge. We also have a centennial book club where we're reading a book from each decade that we're open. And we're always striving to be the best we can be.
Schellong: Phyllis Thode is one of the East Lansing Public Library’s longest-serving employees.
Phyllis, Thanks for your time today.
Thode: You’re welcome. Thank you.
Schellong: The East Lansing Public Library is celebrating its 100th birthday with live music, maker studio activities, face painting, and cake from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.