In each issue we stress the concept of “Giving Back,” which is defined by the impact an individual or organization has upon their community. In past issues we have depicted people who give of time, talent, treasure or any of these in combination. However, the quintessential measure is usually the positive impact on the community, either one person at a time, groups of people or far-reaching influences to future generations that the influencer will never meet.
In the September 2022 issue I wrote about a marvelous community influencer. A person I labeled as “Librarian Extraordinaire.“ I wrote about Doreen Gauthier, the City of Lighthouse Point (LHP) librarian who retired in 2012 after receiving the “Florida Librarian of the Year“ designation in 2009. It was about that time that libraries in general, and especially community libraries like the LHP Library, began receiving bad press regarding their ability to survive in the new digital world. In fact, The Survey Center of American Life published an article stating that libraries are not significant to the lives of Americans. They professed that only 7% of Americans visit libraries weekly and that six in 10 Americans report they seldom or never visit their local library. This study went so far as to question the purported value of such public spaces. Now fast forward and contrast this media message with the fact that the Citizens of the City of Lighthouse Point passed a referendum authorizing a General Obligation Bond which contained an expansion of the City Library for a new children’s wing. One must ask how such a citizenry found it necessary to vote to spend taxpayer dollars for such a questionable use of real estate. The answer lies in the definition of Giving Back. While the media was bashing community libraries, LHP was in the process of hiring a new Library Director who would ultimately advance the community impact of the LHP library in positive ways that will carry through for generations to come. This person is Christy Keyes, the current Director of the LHP Library.
Christy is a native Floridian, born and raised in Pompano Beach. Her fondest childhood memories were of visiting the City of Pompano Beach Library with her dad. She defines those experiences as “magical.” It was a place that would transport her to experience the entire world all the time feeling like an adult. These experiences formed the foundation of Christy’s current professional philosophy, which is rooted in the belief that by combining innovative programs with contemporary outreach she can reiterate the same magical experiences she witnessed as a child. Christy sees the digital age as another tool by which to offer these experiences, just as John Peter Zenger saw the printing press. Under her direction, the City of Lighthouse Point Library has not only expanded its footprint but has crushed any notion that community libraries are no longer relevant. In the span of one year, from October 2023 to September 2024, this community library circulated 29,552 physical materials, experienced 651 hours of study room utilization, absorbed almost 7,000 participants in library programs, had over 4,000 hours of patron computer use, and experienced over 26,000 data base searches. Keep in mind this is in a community of just over 10,000 residents. How can this be? Simple, the person in charge, namely Christy Keyes, is in love with her role and its ability to influence generations of citizens in a positive way. How did this native Pompano Beach resident evolve to become such an influencer for societal good? Well, it was a circuitous route back to the love she always held for that magical place called the library.
After high school, Christy attended Florida Atlantic University where she majored in communications. She spent the next 20+ years in educational administration and technology services at FAU, AT&T, Comcast and the Broward County Public Schools. During those professional years, she never stopped talking about her love of the library. It was her husband Dave who made her realize that she needed to get back to her roots and embrace her real professional love. With this encouragement, she decided to return to higher education. In 2010, she received a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from The University of South Florida. Upon completion of her Masters, she started an internship at the City of Lighthouse Point Library. In 2012, when Doreen Gauthier was retiring, she interviewed for the position of Library Director and, as Christy explains, the City Commission offered her a six-month trial position to “sink or swim.” The headwaters were formidable. The press was signaling the death of libraries and little did she know that a new pandemic was on the horizon. With great optimism, she looked in the mirror and said, “I inherited a gem from Doreen and now I am going to polish it.” From that day forward Christy commenced the continued community rise to success of the Lighthouse Point Community Library.
In that same year, 2012, she initiated a program that was propagated within the Broward County School System called “Virtual Global Storytime,” a fully interactive online pro-gram available through the Broward Education Communications Network, (BECON). This was made avail-able to all teachers in classrooms throughout the County and was designed to bring live cultural literacy programs free of charge to teachers and students. This program alone impacted over 1,500 students and, as a result of its success, Christy would receive the Florida Library Association Innovation Award. Obviously, she had no intention of sinking. In fact, she was off to the races as a swimmer. Over the past twelve years, she has led the LHP Library’s launch of new patron technologies including eBooks, eResources, AWE learning stations, virtual programming, and the migration to a new patron catalog. These programs have allowed the LHP Library to capitalize on the two trends that the media believed would sound the death toll of community libraries. The one being “The Silver Tsunami” and the other being the children of the digital age. Christy saw these two phenomena as potential for a multi-generational synergy. As a result, through innovative programming and outreach, the LHP library has experienced the need to expand its physical presence in response to the increasing desire of the citizens.
Today she is supported by two volunteer Boards. The Library Advisory Board, which is appointed by the City Commission, and the Friends of the Library, which is a chartered Not for Profit 501c3. Working hand in hand with Christy are her dedicated staff of three full-time professionals and two part-time assistants, the two aforementioned boards and 68 docent volunteers ranging in age from 13 years and up. Together, Christy, her staff, the Boards, and the volunteers are what drives the success of this wonderful community library that Christy defines as “a place of love and enchantment.” This innate love of the library and her dedication to the community, her staff and the support mechanisms she has fostered through servant leadership, have led her to become one of only 105 individuals nationwide that have received the designation of a Certified Public Library Administrator in the United States of America. Christy also serves on the Florida Library Association’s Professional Development Committee and the National Children and Technology Committee for the Association for Library Services to Children.
There is no doubt that Christy Keyes deserves a place in the Light Magazine Hall of Fame for individuals who have had a major influence on our community by positively influencing our citizenry for the greater good. Her focus on children and her belief that each and every child deserves love and enchantment so that they too can find the time within each 24-hour day to give back to their community one day. I think we can now see why the referendum was well supported by the citizens of the City of Lighthouse Point and why this use of tax-payer dollars was an investment in future generations who will never let our libraries be other than magical places.
As Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”