AACPL is proud to introduce Linda Gayle, a rising senior at Annapolis High School, and the first student member of the AACPL Board of Library Trustees. Linda shares her background, her passion for the library, love for languages, involvement in politics and dedication to environmental activism. She aims to contribute to the library's expansion and engage the youth demographic. With her diverse interests and drive for positive change, Linda's appointment is a promising addition to the library's governing council, and we are happy to welcome her to the team!
Interviewer: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you like to do or learn about? What are you passionate about?
Linda Gayle: I love to learn about all sorts of things. I'm in the International Baccalaureate program at Annapolis High School, and I'm really interested in international relations. That's what I hope to study in college.
I'm also really interested in languages. One of the things that I'm doing this summer is a virtual Russian immersion program, which has been really neat. I have also been learning French since I was 6, and I take Spanish in school. So that's something that's really important to me and, in my mind, perfectly intersects with the library, because as I've gotten more into learning languages, I found one of the best ways that I love to do that is reading books in another language. And what better place is there for that than the library?
Some of my other interests are politics. I've worked on multiple local political campaigns in the area, and that has given me a deeper connection to my community. Environmental legislation and environmental activism are one of my big interests. For almost two years now, I’ve been working with a campaign to add an environmental human rights clause to our state constitution.
Interviewer: Where are you from?
Linda Gayle: I've lived in South County, so the southern part of it, for all my life, which has been really wonderful. I go to school in Annapolis. So, I sort of have experience in both of the areas. But my local library is the Deale Library, which is a little smaller than some of the other ones, but a really nice one.
Interviewer: How long have you been going to the library?
Linda Gayle: Since before I could read, quite honestly. I was in the library because they have so many wonderful activities, especially for kids, so why not be at the library? And it was so exciting when I got my first library card. And to me, what's so special about the Deale Library is that the building itself has such a close connection to the community. My elementary school art teacher's father was the architect for the building, which is such a cool connection that all these parts of the community are really represented in this specific library and in the library system overall.
Interviewer: What is your first memory of the library?
Linda Gayle: One of the most special connections that I have with my library is that my art teacher's father designed the building. When she retired, a group of us students built an art installation [dedicated to her] in the library, which was a really neat experience and a distinct memory that stands out.
Interviewer: What made you want to be the student board member for the library?
Linda Gayle: So, with my work on political and legislative campaigns, I've spent a lot of time outside of governing institutions trying to get them to make things happen. And I thought, wow! This is a perfect opportunity to be inside a governing institution and see how you can best make those things happen. Because one of the things that's really important to me, and I think is important to a lot of people is being able to identify and solve problems.
This seemed like an excellent opportunity to be able to learn how to work with other people, take care of legislation, push things forward and get better at being connected to the community and then mobilizing that connection to make change happen. And the library is an incredible institution to do that with because it already does so much.
I really feel that the way that I fit into all this is helping expand what the library already does in getting more funding and expanding the opportunities to more areas. A lot of that comes with being able to reach the high school and youth demographics, because, I mean, it's so hard for somebody to seem genuinely teen if you're not. Marketing is very challenging. Anything that I can do to help with that and help my age group feel more engaged. Also, the library is a fantastic place to build intergenerational relationships, and I love books, so getting to do more that works with that is exciting to me.
Interviewer: Do you have any specific goals for your time as a board member?
Linda Gayle: My main goal is to be an example for future student members of the Board, actively engaged in advocating for important issues, bringing in youth voices, advocate for things that are important and be a conscientious member. I see my role as reaching out to the whole community, connecting with different age groups and finding solutions that support the library's mission.
Interviewer: Why do you think the library is important to the community and what does it mean to you? What would you like to see the library do in your community?
Linda Gayle: Generally, I feel that the role of the library is moving less and less away from just a center of information to really being a hub of the community. There's not that many other places where people just go to be together other than the library, that bring together a lot of people and provides a space to connect, which is something that is valuable. In the ways that we've become more connected with technology, and especially all the changes that have happened over the pandemic, we've become less connected in other ways, and libraries give us a space to rebuild that.
I also think, increasingly, that libraries are becoming a sort of political battleground for books and censorship. The library has a really important role in being able to remain neutral, being able to offer equity of access, being a space for all people to be welcome and to feel represented, being able to connect with each other in upholding that mission and being able to service that center point of the community where it's a space where, regardless of who we are, we can all be together. And the library is already doing that, which is fantastic, so just expanding that to even more people. For me, specifically, that would mean bringing in even more youth voices, that is the best thing that the library can do and is doing.
Interviewer: How do you think that the library can adapt to serve communities in the changing world that we’ll be facing in the future?
Linda Gayle: I think that regardless of what happens in the future, the easiest way to ensure that the library stays current are two things: funding because you need money to make stuff happen and having community input because there is no way to know what will happen in the future. The library can continue to evolve because it's not and it's never been a static thing. It's always something that works to serve people, and so by doing that is receptive to their needs. And then, of course, once you have funding to make those things happen, that's how you create an institution that over time keeps the same values and keeps the same core purpose, but changes the ways in which it provides the services so that (they) are still valuable.
Interviewer: What do you envision the library will be like in 20 years?
Linda Gayle: It's basically impossible to know. But I think the core idea of the library isn't going to change. Maybe it becomes less of a point of information but more of a point of community, and it remains a space where people can come together and be together and enjoy things. I think the library is definitely a center point for democracy and will be able to uphold that role and continue to be that place in the community where everything happens.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite book or books that you'd recommend?
Linda Gayle: Winnie the Pooh books. Even though I don't write stories, the idea of storytelling and being able to bring in all sorts of different stories is really important to me, and I think Winnie the Pooh is wonderful in doing that and capturing the magic of childhood in sort of a timeless way and being something a lot of people enjoy from all different spaces.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Published August 9, 2023