
Annie Lewis knows libraries inside and out, from singing songs with kids in storytime, to outreach and services all over the county. She believes libraries are about belonging — for everyone, in all walks of life. As the new deputy director of Multnomah County Library, Annie provides leadership for the public services division of the library and oversees:
- Location services (19 library locations)
- Community services (outreach, events and virtual)
- Books and materials inside the library and the digital collections
- Library policies and procedures
- Office of Project Management and Evaluation
Annie started working at Multnomah County Library in 2014 as a Bilingual Spanish Youth Librarian. Since then, she has been working in various roles including as a Library Supervisor, Early Childhood Services Manager, Interim Neighborhood Libraries Director, and Director of Library Community Services. Before joining the library, Annie worked as an adult services librarian at Beaverton City Library and as a librarian at Tualatin Public Library. She studied History and Spanish at Pacific University and later received a Masters degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington.
Q: Do you have a favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
AL: One of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations is The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which is the book, and the movie is The Hedgehog. The book is beautiful and has such rich character development. But the movie narrows in on the personality traits and complexity of the characters. It’s a love story, but it also touches on family dynamics, social isolation and has an ending that left me sobbing.
Q: What is one of your favorite things that the library offers?
AL: The library offers so many incredible resources that it’s hard to choose just one, but I’d have to say providing free public computer access for printing, scanning, faxing, and copy machines and staff who are able to assist patrons with access. It's helping a large part of our community meet needs in ways that ensure more equitable access to the services that are only available online or through the use of technology.
Q: Tell us about a meaningful experience you’ve had in your library career
AL: Part of my job as a librarian that has brought me the most joy is leading storytimes with young children. I love making connections with children and inspiring them to sing, dance, play, and most importantly, develop the fundamental skills to be able to read.
Q: What’s something that people may not know about the library?
AL: The library does a lot of work outside of library buildings. We have a number of partnerships where we provide books and literacy support for children and adults in a variety of settings throughout the community. I think that's more hidden because we are doing that with our partners such as the Every Child a Reader program which works with Head Start programs, home visiting programs and other early childhood providers across the county. We also partner with the Multnomah County Health Department and the Reach Out and Read program to give books to children in health clinics at their well-child visits. We have a number of specialized programs for adults as well including library services for adults in custody at Inverness Jail & Columbia River Correctional Facility, our adult literacy programs and books by mail for individuals who are homebound. These and more are the less visible services but are incredibly impactful to those receiving them.
Q: When you think about the future of the library, what do you envision?
AL: The key features of our new spaces, in addition to the future of libraries, in general, is about providing space and place for people. So people can not only access resources such as technology, books and other literacy support materials, but also have spaces to gather. Libraries are really that space where you don’t have to have any membership to belong, you don’t have to pay a fee to enter, and everyone in the community is invited and can be in that space. It’s our job as the library to provide spaces that are as inclusive as possible.
0 user(s) commented on Five questions with MCL’s new Deputy Director, Annie Lewis | Start the conversation