Q&A: Barbara Genco, Director of Collection, Brooklyn Public

Barbara Genco is the Director of Collection Development at the Brooklyn Public Library, the largest library system in New York with 60 libraries. It is the fifth largest urban public library in the US.

The library system itself is impressive: it serves a population on 2.5 million borough residents, speaks 150 different languages, has a new immigrant population of 40% and has 600,000 residents under the age of 18. It has a $136 million annual operating budget, over 1,000 public PCs. The system serves over a million library card holders.

We talked with Barbara about her job and the state of librarianship in America.

LibGig: How enormous is the BPL?

Barbara Genco: Big. We have a Central Library, a Business Library and 58 neighborhood libraries. A million net feet of usable space. Our collection includes 5 million books and other materials. We are the largest Wi-Fi network in Brooklyn. 3.7 million website hits last year. Plus we have a Bookmobile and a Kidsmobile and will add 2 more next year.

LibGig: Tell me about a day in your life.

Barbara Genco: Today, I met with the public library staff to discuss programs and exhibitions and to deliver whole public services for librarians. I mwt with the director of external affairs to discuss fundraising and new building openings. I developed evaluation rubrics, met with vendors to discuss community development. The Brooklyn Public is the largest system in New York and operates outside of the city - it has a separate board and seperate money. At the end of the day, I supervise the collection development team for all 58 branches, and that includes acquisition, cataloging, processing, inventory and opening and closing buildings.

LG: How'd you get started?

BG: I grew up in upstate New York, in an area with a great library system. My sisters and I were active in social justice and issues, and I knew I wanted to be involved in an urban library system where I could make a difference in that respect. I moved to New York, went to Pratt, and have been a librarian for over 30 years. I've seen a lot of changes.

LG: For instance?

BG: Technology!

LG: I'll bet you were using a typewriter back in the 80s.

BG: Pieces of paper, card catalogs with carbonized forms. Now we used vendor-based electromic data products, electronic payment data. At Pratt, I used to type library cards.

LG: So how do you feel about "new" libraries and "e-cyclopedias"?

BG: I love Wikipedia. It's not a threat. Access to information is wonderful. I have a smart phone now. In the old days, I had to keep a Guinness Book of World Records in my desk!

LG: So do you have much contact with LIS students and grads?

BG: I teach at Pratt, every semester. I remain active in the Pratt community.

LG: What do you tell your students in a time this this one?

BG: Be flexible. Say yes. Now, because of technology, if you don't know how to do something, like a program or a language, you can learn it, you can find it. Say yes to challenges and don't accept that there is one way to do things.

LG: What's your relationship with vendors?

BG: They are not the enemy! They are our partners, so I tell everyone, especially my students, to figure out joint solutions.

LG: Any tangible advice to offer a student who want to maximize his or her job hunting efforts?

BG: Well I am a big fan of practicums and I encourage volunteer work. And that means anything. You never know what will help. I saw a resume where a man put barback on his resume and I figured, if he can deal with drunks, he can deal with our patrons! But volunteer work in libraries is important. In the old days, we went to school out of college. Now, life experience is the most important thing and the more experience you have, the more I'd want to hire you.

Here is some info on the BPL: www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org