By Janet Stoica

Okay, so Mr. Zeller officially began his library position in January but that doesn’t mean he’s not still acclimating himself to all that your Auburn Library has to offer!  He and the wonderful staff are available to all Auburn residents whether you’re looking for new books, advice on researching topics, or maybe some help accessing your email account.  By the way, your library is currently offering a Patron Satisfaction Survey so it’s an even better time to visit and give some feedback on their services and potential opportunities. A visit to the library’s website will provide a calendar of daily and weekly events from children reading times to yoga classes to teen crafting, and authors and their book talks.

Mr. Zeller grew up spending a lot of time in his local library in Bridgewater. “It was a warm and welcoming place and a big part of the community,” he said, “In high school, I shelved many books at that library.”  While attending Holy Cross College, he began a position as a copy cataloguer, a very behind-the-scenes role. His job was to take in all the materials the library received, which is now all digital, to keep the library collections up-to-date. After graduating from Holy Cross and receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, he pursued his Master’s Degree in Library Science at the University of Rhode Island. Soon after, Zeller took a job as a copy cataloguer at the Worcester Public Library. His responsibilities included accessing system services as a facilitator in the acquisitions area. Following his Worcester position, he became the Shrewsbury Library’s Electronic Resources Librarian with responsibilities that included digital and electronic content, not just physical books, but also lease database information like e-books, print media, and journalistic information so patrons could access library subscriptions. He also taught patrons how to access and use computers and software such as Microsoft Office programs. Zeller was the Assistant Director of the Shrewsbury Library for four plus years. 

Since his arrival in Auburn, Michael Zeller has mentioned that the Auburn Library’s plans will always be based on what the community wants. He wants to fill the library’s existing vacant positions and looks forward to increasing personnel as necessary. The library is predominantly local funded with some state funding. Currently, there is no federal funding. 

The first library project that the Auburn Library is involved in is that being fine free for overdue items, that is, no overdue fines with a few specialized cases. This procedure now brings Auburn in line with the Central and Western Massachusetts Library Consortium’s Best Practices. They have also hired a Youth Services Librarian who has been focusing on children and teens’ services. The library has already budgeted for a Reference Librarian who will deal with day-to-day technology requests.  “We do get a lot of people asking for help with emails, printing, formatting resumes, downloading files, and accessing databases,” said Director Zeller, “there are a lot of day-to-day technology requests and although the staff can’t solve every tech request, we’ll assist as best we can.”

Future plans will also focus on re-doing their Five-Year Strategic Plan and they are soliciting community, trustees, and Friends of the Library comments. “We’ve received town and community funds for library expansion,” said Zeller, “and we’ll review what our community wants for expansion. Our patrons have already told us that we should modernize the building to meet their needs and wants. We currently have about 10 staffers with three part-timers. About 10-15 years ago there were 15-16 staffers and the staff should be back to that level to accommodate our patrons. If you look at any adequately funded library, the usage always shows where the services are most needed: usage of books, meetings, and tech support. So much more resources are available at a library vs. being blocked by paywalls and libraries are one of the few public accesses left where services are no charge.”

Director Zeller related an anecdote about a previous job’s visit from Laurie Halse Anderson, a novelist for young adults. After her library presentation, Ms. Anderson also spoke with the staff about getting their own writing published. “I’m an amateur author myself,” said Zeller, “and she was very inspirational.”

It’s your library, Auburn residents.  Isn’t it about time you paid it a visit to see what’s new and interesting?    Auburn Public Library, 369 Southbridge Street (near the Auburn Mall), Auburn Phone: 508- 832-7790.auburnlibrary.org  Hours: Monday 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday/Wednesday 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.- 1p.m. Closed Sundays and state holidays.