In February we were joined for an online talk by Stephanie Hogan, Area Manager at Manchester Public Libraries. Stephanie shared insights into her career, and showed that public libraries are about so much more than books!
Stephanie began her career at the public library in Bury, a town in the North West of England, as a Saturday Library Assistant. She enjoyed it so much that she decided to undertake a BA (Hons) Information and Library Studies at Northumbria University, returning to work in Bury after completing the course.
Her first professional post, after graduating in 1993, was with Salford Libraries as a community librarian at Broughton Library. Stephanie found this experience eye-opening as she saw those who are marginalised in society and most in need, and how they relied on the service. Stephanie also set up a Jewish collection in response to enquiries about specific authors, subject areas and publications. It was great to hear that this collection is still there.
Stephanie’s career has also involved work in other sectors. While raising her family she worked at a school and then as a Learning Resource Assistant at Bury College. She credits this post with teaching her skills such as managing periodicals and conducting inductions. She also found she really enjoyed working with teenagers! She went on to work as Senior Assistant Librarian at Manchester Met University, providing continuity of service at weekends as well as having managerial responsibility. Here she learned about databases, search strategies, accessing journals, and evaluating sources. There were a lot of changes during her time at MMU; multiple sites merged, and the Library saw the introduction of ‘Library Search’, self-service borrowing and an integrated help desk. Stephanie was involved in a project to create a ‘virtual help desk’ providing a central point of contact for users, and improving the service they received. She also worked on training sessions, introducing automatic renewals and abolishing fines, as well as really enjoying work as a Sconul rep.
Stephanie decided to return to public libraries, where the events and community work really appealed to her. Her next position was as Neighbourhood Librarian with Tameside Libraries. She highlighted her involvement in a programme of events for community groups, reading groups, and class visits. She also coordinated two festivals, and a successful virtual children’s book festival in 2021. She was also involved in moving a library to a warm, bright, accessible space which served the needs of the community much better than the old building had.
Stephanie moved on to be the Head of the Library at a college, Holy Cross, in 2022. Although the space was lovely, Stephanie identified ways to make it more welcoming to students. She also improved the stock by carrying out weeding and making new purchases.
In October 2023 Stephanie began her role as Area Manager with Manchester Libraries. She is responsible for the buildings and around 32 staff. The busiest library is Longsight, a joint venue with adult education. A music charity also uses the community rooms to deliver free music lessons to children and Barclays Bank provides services from there after closing their nearby branch.
The week after our talk, Stephanie was about to take on another new challenge as the Interim Manager at Manchester Central Library, the busiest UK public library with around 1.7 million visitors per year!
It was inspiring to hear about Stephanie’s career progression, and all the skills she has learned along the way. Her passion for helping the community really came across, and it was inspiring to hear about the difference that libraries can make to an area and a community.
Stephanie shared some thoughts on the bigger picture for public libraries. More than a decade ago it looked like budget cuts might spell the end for public libraries. However, public libraries are surviving and they are still absolutely essential. Books are at the heart of the service, but libraries have changed and evolved to incorporate other services and events. Although funding cuts remain a threat, and there will be more hard times for libraries ahead, Stephanie’s closing words were optimistic. As long as they are still serving their communities, she has hope for the future of public libraries.
