Written by Amy O'Connor, AFSCME Council 4

In late summer 2020, Connecticut was still hunkering down while the pandemic raged. While others were trying to “stay home and stay safe” per the Governor’s order, library workers at the Courtland S. Wilson Branch Library in New Haven were thinking outside the box to reconnect with their community.

These AFSCME Council 4 Local 884 and 3144 members knew their neighborhood "The Hill" relied on library staff for critical support. They opened their atrium doors and brought out book racks so the neighborhood could enjoy a reprieve from the pandemic and escape to literary worlds.

Computers and tables were set up for community members who came in their coats and hats to apply for jobs, unemployment, food, and heating assistance. They even sewed masks to give away to community members.

“We are located in Hill neighborhood, the poorest neighborhood in New Haven with the lowest literacy rates," said Jeffrey Panettiere, a library technology assistant at Wilson Library and member of Local 3144. "Most schools in the community have no librarian or even a library." The poverty rate in the Hill neighborhood is 39 percent.

Leslie Blatteau, a library patron, was thrilled to have library access once again. “I remember the joy and relief we felt during the shutdown when librarians wheeled book carts out to the front of the building and let us actually take out books," she said. 

She also recounted the special moments this experience provided for her family. "We were inspired by a book about ponds and took a trip to New Haven's Beaver Pond," she said. "This was at a point when were weren't really going anywhere at all. Our library and the beautiful and dedicated people who work there helped us to make those memories. We could not have done it without their creativity, commitment, and love of community.”

In late summer 2022, the City of New Haven released data showing up to 84 percent of third graders reading below grade-level and district-wide numbers that officials called an ​“emergency”. A few months prior, the part-time, non-union children’s librarian quit Wilson Library because she couldn’t live on the $19,000 yearly salary while having a master’s degree and student loans. Wilson Library was the only library in New Haven to not have a full-time children's librarian and now they had none.

The library has countless adult programs that help transform adult lives, but without even a part-time children’s librarian the focus on kids had to fall to the wayside due to lack of resources. Local schools had to cut down on library field trips and some special children’s programs had to cease. The existing staff did the best they could but were stretched too thin.

The staff knew it was time to organize. These members already understood the power of solidarity within their union, but also drew inspiration from Cortland S. Wilson, for whom their branch was named. He organized the machinist union coming to the Winchester plant in New Haven and the Hill Parents Association in the 60’s.

As parents, local community leaders and board members asked about children's programs, the staff shared the struggle of being the only library branch in New Haven without a children’s librarian. Parents and library allies were appalled that the community whose children needed the most support, the city had chosen to forget them.

After months of community organizing, including budget hearings, press and one-on-one conversations with Alders, the Mayor of New Haven amended the draft budget and added a full-time, unionized librarian for the Wilson Library in March.

“It’s important to have a full-time children’s librarian at all of our branches," the Mayor said in a statement. "Our children’s librarians help ignite a love of reading in our kids, serve as invaluable resources for parents and caregivers, and facilitate wonderful educational events and enrichment programs for our families.”

In June, 35 positions were added to New Haven’s 2023-2024 draft budget. In the final version only 10 positions made it through. One of those ten positions was a full-time librarian at the Wilson Library.

For members of Local 884 and 3144 who work at the Wilson Library, the pride they hold for this victory and the positive impact it will have for their community is evident.  

In a neighborhood that has struggled with multi-generational poverty, suffered through a pandemic and lack of resources, the dedicated Wilson Library staff and the services they provide are a beacon of hope in a weary world. Local 884 and 3144 members are the epitome of what it means to be public service proud and community champions.