I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with Debbie Winlock, library manager of Page Public Library (PPL), AZ, and a few members of her team at a design event hosted by Library Journal. PPL earned LJ’s 2023 Best Small Library in America award for remarkable contributions to its local community. In getting to know the PPL team, what I found especially impressive, among the many services they provide, was the way they thoughtfully consider their work with Indigenous kids and teens.

The city of Page has a population of about 7,000, but the library also serves patrons from the neighboring Navajo Nation (Naabeehó Diné Biyaad) reservation and the towns across Coconino County. Winlock’s team recognized that, for many families in their service area, there are few affordable recreation options, so the library has developed a comprehensive youth outreach and engagement strategy that meets residents where they are. From after-hours Nerf wars in the library to cooking classes for teens to programs at a local donut shop and Mexican restaurant, staff creatively develop programs that are based on what the community says they want and need.

The deep connection between the library and its Indigenous community is evident in the demographics of the local school district, where approximately 75 percent of the student population identifies as Native American. The public library works to supplement the district’s school libraries with weekly classroom field trips to check out books as well as weekend meal distributions and many out-of-school-time activities. Just this year, the school district’s transportation department announced after-school bussing to PPL to make it easy for students to get homework help and engage in activities in a safe, welcoming space.

The services provided by PPL are tailored to address the unique challenges faced by its Indigenous patrons, many of whom lack reliable internet access. Crucially, the library recognizes that basic infrastructure and resource scarcity can be barriers to accessing programming. To remove some of those barriers, PPL hosts early childhood storytimes on the reservation, and, in one instance, Winlock even secured funding to distribute food and gas cards. This funding was specifically intended to assist patrons in attending library programs, trainings, and digital literacy classes.

In recent years, PPL partnered with Page Unified School District’s UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth) Club to host an Indigenous People’s Day event at a city park. The event featured respected speakers from the community and celebrated the strength, culture, and resilience of Indigenous people through Native American dancing, music, and storytelling. This year, the library has put out a call for volunteers to help celebrate Native American Heritage Month, inviting them to share traditions that are meaningful to their Navajo neighbors.

In this month’s feature with author Angeline Boulley (p. 16), she describes the importance of preserving and sharing Indigenous culture and stories. “I’m guided by a commitment to write books where Native children and teens can see themselves,” she says in an interview with former ALA president Cindy Hohl.

That commitment to helping kids see themselves extends beyond the books that PPL adds to its collection and is reflected in their motto—“we want to do what’s good for our community.” At the LJ Design Institute, Winlock’s team worked on a plan to build support for a two-phase renovation project, which they hope will begin with relocating its teen area to better integrate with Youth Services, and transforming the former teen space into a makerspace.

By prioritizing the diverse needs of its community—addressing hunger, digital equity, and social-emotional learning for students—while actively including and recognizing its Indigenous community members, PPL demonstrates the immense potential that a small library has to act as an indispensable resource for an entire region.

Hallie Rich

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, LIBRARY JOURNAL 
AND SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
hrich@mediasourceinc.com