As the director of branch libraries, Christine juggles a host of responsibilities, from hiring staff and developing new programming to overseeing operations and budgets. “It’s an interesting job every day,” she says.

To do her job, she also is mindful of the need for each local branch to evolve with its community. “Neighborhoods change and grow more diverse,” she points out. “I want to hire staff who know the neighborhoods, and at the same time provide consistent, quality programming throughout the city.”

To keep her finger on the pulse of each neighborhood, Christine makes customer feedback a priority, through surveys, online forums, social media, and outreach programs. “I want each branch to be seen as a fun, engaging, welcoming, friendly space where people can come no matter what’s going on in their lives,” she says.

Now an Associate with Nixon Peabody LLP, a Global 100 law firm, Ronaldo also served as a member of the Boston Public Library’s Strategic Planning Committee. He sees this initiative as a way for the library and local communities to build a future together. “It’s a way to sit down and think about a systematic approach for where the library should be,” he says.

He also recognizes that, in this era of limited resources, creative strategies are needed. “We need to keep changing to meet the needs of the communities on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “I’m more than honored to be a part of it. The library is a special place.”

The branch at which Uma serves is the Brighton Branch, which is housed in a building that was recently extensively renovated according to U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Commercial Interiors guidelines. “People come to see it and ask how we’re saving money,” Uma reports. More than that, the building design invites the community in. “It has big double doors and very good lighting,” she says. “It’s very welcoming.”

The branch’s programs and resources also draw people in—from books and technology resources to active children’s and adults’ programming, including book clubs, English as a Second Language classes, support groups, and more, depending on the current needs of the community.

The branch’s two librarians also often reach beyond the building walls to drop off pamphlets at local colleges, restaurants, and the YMCA. “We want to let our friends and neighbors know we’re here,” says Uma.

Rep. Byron Rushing with former Boston Public Library Trustee James Carroll (right).

“Culture changed more between 1450 and 1550, one might argue, than in any other century over the last several millennia. A vast population of Europe that had no relationship to reading, for example, within a century became significantly literate,” he explains. “So from Gutenberg to Shakespeare, this revolution in human awareness embodied in reading and the book, and the changes in the way the human mind works, the way communication works, the way culture identifies itself— all of that followed on a technological revolution in how human beings read.”

To Jim, we’re going through a version of the very same thing—perhaps with even more far-reaching consequences. “And libraries are at the dead center of this revolution, which is why it’s so urgent,” he says.

Recognizing that there is resistance to the evolution in digital technology, he warns against succumbing to it. “The library can’t be defensive and afraid of new technologies on one hand—that’s the perfect formula for being left behind and discarded by culture—and it can’t let go of its custodianship of the treasured literacy of the past,” he says. “It’s more important than ever that we remember what the book was and learn from how human beings treasured it. The Boston Public Library is doing a great job, in my opinion, of maintaining the cultural tradition by keeping the book as the central symbol, but also understanding that service to the public is about far more than books.” He adds that, “If there were no public libraries today, someone with the brilliant idea of establishing public libraries would never get the funding. It would never happen today. There’s no way government—local, state, or federal—would undertake to embark on the library system.”

Fortunately, he sees a brighter future ahead for the Boston Public Library. As he puts it, “I think it’s the center of public service, the heart of the way city government responds to the needs of its citizens as they grow from infancy to old age, centrally and in partnership with public schools and other public institutions.”

For that reason, he predicts “more and more, not less and less” public resources poured into libraries, enabling them to expand their services. In his vision, libraries will serve as community centers and connectors. “Many community members urgently require the services that are available at the library, whether you’re talking about internet access so that people can go online and apply for jobs or academic assistance for kids who are living in homes where both parents are working late, and so forth,” he says. “The library does it all.”

It’s a challenge Laura embraces.

“The heart of the collections are the things people are excited to use,” she says. To decide what those things are, Laura relies on a number of sources. Many suggestions come directly from users through email, the library website, Facebook, and Twitter. She also works closely with the librarians at the various branches. “We use a lot of data about what’s being checked out to find out what the trends are,” she says. “In one branch, DVDs might need more shelving. In another branch, it might be romance.”

One thing is certain. A lot has changed since librarians relied mainly on traditional book reviews to decide what to acquire. “We look at a lot of websites and magazines,” Laura says. “We’re always taking the pulse of what people are interested in as a culture.”

Over the years, she has observed a sharp increase in the number of immigrants coming to Boston from other countries. “Some don’t speak much English at the beginning, and they don’t know what programs are available,” she says. “They come to the library as a place to find that information in this country. It’s a place of knowledge. A place to start.”

Another change she has seen taking place is the shift toward the internet. “I’ve seen how people are using computers more than books now,” she says. “Click click is what people are requiring more often, not encyclopedias and yellow pages.”

Miriam is proud that the Boston Public Library is the oldest public library in the nation, and, as a member of the Staff Compass Committee, she is dedicated to honoring that history while ensuring that the library continues moving forward, in step with technology. “Being part of an institution that helps the community—it’s a privilege,” she says.

Her passion for the library is not limited to the Dudley Branch, however. Mimi recognizes the Boston Public Library as one system and has taken an active role in planning for its future, as a member of both the Compass Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. “I’ve been very pleased with the fact that there’s been tremendous public discourse around the strategic plan,” she says. “The goals and vision of the previous documents like the Neighborhood Services Initiative dovetail nicely with the new, system-wide strategy. It’s a privilege to be at the table to make a contribution and help shape things.”

Ultimately, to Mimi, what’s most important is to make sure the Boston Public Library system remains a window into the world of knowledge. “Beyond books, the Boston Public Library is a place where so much can be acquired, discovered, and learned,” she says.

Much of Sean’s day is spent answering emails or assisting patrons in the reading room. For him, every day brings new discoveries. “We have PhDs and scholars coming here from all over the world and we have people walking in off the street. Anybody can access these collections. It’s amazing.”

While many of these rare books and manuscripts can only be handled at the library, digitization is increasingly making them available online— a phenomenon that is rescuing many precious documents. One such document is the Code Henry, which established the independent government of Haiti in 1812. When the earthquake destroyed Haiti’s national library, the Boston Public Library held the only known surviving copy. It has since been digitized. “With digitization, formerly rare things are now available to the world,” Sean says. “It’s great.”

The Boston Public Library has two digital imaging laboratories, one for books and “anything bound,” as Chrissy describes it, and the other for unbound materials such as posters, maps, postcards, photographs and negatives, manuscripts for rare books, and more. It is with the unbound materials that Chrissy shines as the library’s Digital Projects Metadata Coordinator. (“It’s an evolving title,” she laughs.)

“What I love most about digitizing is that it makes things available to people that they might not come across otherwise,” says Chrissy. For example, photographer Leslie Jones’ humorous depiction of 20th-century Boston has inspired a lively online social engagement that probably would not have occurred in a traditional library setting.

“We have some of the most fun in the building,” Chrissy says. “I love seeing people interacting with these collections and enjoying them. Sometimes it even inspires them to learn more about it.”

For that reason, the library is focused on cataloging and digitizing material in order to make it accessible online. Michael is also taking the next logical step by providing technological equipment and training programs that help to bridge the “digital divide” between the most techno-savvy and those who might not yet know how to use a mouse.

Does that mean that the physical library is becoming obsolete? On the contrary, according to Michael. “The thing I think comes as a surprise to everyone is that people still want to come in to the library and be a part of a community,” he says. “While people are saying everything’s moving online and we’re not going to need the library building any more, that’s definitely not true. People are coming to socialize, to go to programs, to go to events, and to physically interact with the collections. Libraries have a unique role in society. It’ll be very interesting to see how things grow and change.”