6 Questions with Steve

You were on your way to becoming the next Dick Goddard, but then one summer your career path took an unexpected turn. What happened?

I studied communications at the University of Cincinnati. It was my dream to become the next Dick Goddard. He was my idol. One summer I was offered an internship at a local TV station in Dayton. I was so excited. I went out and bought my first three-piece suit and a couple of sport coats, assuming I was going to be on TV. Not so much. I found out later that I would be emptying trash, filing papers in the basement and getting doughnuts and bagels for the staff.

I was disappointed but still planning to do the internship anyway when I got an offer to do a summer work study in the UC Medical Library. I decided to take it. That's all it took. I was hooked. By the end of that summer I knew I was going to become a librarian.

During your career you have spearheaded many impactful community service projects. Is there one you're most proud of?

It's hard to pick just one. I'm really proud of my contributions to expand our Mobile Pantry collaboration with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Barbershop Literacy Project I started with some local partners. Right now I am working with the American Heart Association to get CPR anytime kits into the hands of people who need them. We have plans to do an event this summer.

But if I have to pick just one community service initiative it would be the Guppy Tank program I started with my CCPL colleagues. That program came about because I had read a news article that said Maple Heights wasn't a good place to live or grow up. I was working at the CCPL Maple Heights Branch at the time, and I'd see these kids come to the library after school every day who were so smart and inquisitive. I thought, what can we do to showcase these amazing kids. So we created this Guppy Tank program inspired by the TV show "Shark Tank."

Guppy Tank was a six-week program designed to equip students with skills and knowledge to create successful business endeavors. The program concluded with each student pitching their business idea to a panel that included the mayor and local business leaders. We received a grant to support the program, and at the end we held a reception to celebrate and award prizes for the best business pitches.

Before you became a branch manager you worked for years in young adult services. What do you enjoy about working with youth?

The best part about working with young adults is the relationships you form. I can remember my first day on the job as a young adult services coordinator. I stood in front of a group of about 80 kids and introduced myself. My message was basically "we're here for you." The kids were looking at me like, "yeah right, get out of here." But over time, my team and I were able to build strong relationships. Those kids are grown now and some have kids of their own. When I see them come to the library now as parents it's rewarding.

What role does the public library play in community life?

At one point, I remember years ago, there was talk of the library being the third place. You know, there was work, there was home and there was the library. It's absolutely true. I see it every day. And the things that we provide, I mean, we're not just books and mortar. We have Aspire Greater Cleveland adult education services, Cuyahoga Works career services and Digital Navigators to help people get connected online. We try to meet our communities' needs any way we can, and we collaborate with many other organizations to provide services because we're all in it for the same thing - to make Cuyahoga County an even better place to live, work and play.

What’s something more people should know about CCPL?

That we have Innovation Centers and a Memory Lab. When people find out that we actually have these amazing pieces of equipment where you can do things that people pay a lot of money for they're amazed. I wish more people knew that we had these services available and that we can help them learn the equipment. They can use these resources to learn new skills and help their small businesses thrive and grow.

What makes a great kazoo player?

It's all about heart. You know, it's not about the lips or the lungs. Us kazooers, as we like to call ourselves, we're a very small community. Playing kazoo is hard because you can play the kazoo anywhere, and people will either enjoy it or ask you to leave.