The concept of a "grand library to anchor a new downtown Columbia" has spurred Valerie J. Gross to revamp the library's 25-year master plan, but it won't be the first time she has been willing to exchange a great vision for an even better one.
The executive director and chief executive officer of the Howard County Library was nearing completion of graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1986 when she had an epiphany. Realizing she "immensely loved the work" at her part-time job in the school's music library, Gross opted to follow up her master's degree in voice with a master of library science degree a year later.
"I believe my life evolved as it did for a reason," said the classically trained singer, who later obtained a law degree.
She left her position as executive director of the Goshen Library in her home state of Indiana to take the reins of Howard County's six-branch library system in 2001.
"I jump out of bed every day ecstatic to be here and anxious to unleash creativity from my dedicated staff," she said. "I love what I do."
The concept of making the central library "a showcase" in an evolving master plan has garnered support from Columbia's general manager, Gregory F. Hamm, who met with Gross on Monday.
"The central library is the kind of cultural institution that will play an integral role in the community's vision and master plan for a redeveloped Columbia Town Center," said Hamm, who is regional vice president of General Growth Properties Inc.
Gross advocates transferring to a new Columbia library project the nearly 20,000 square feet of virtual space and accompanying funding that were freed up after plans for the new Ellicott City branch library were modified.
"There's no question that this entire vision would be enhanced" by reassigning the extra space and saved money, she said. While funding of the $26 million Frederick Road facility is not final, the $1.9 million design and engineering phase is under way.
Gross said the concept of a higher profile for the 50,000-square-foot main library began taking shape during the week of town meetings on the Town Center master plan that were sponsored by the county in October 2005.
"It was remarkable to hear how the library is critical to so many residents' lives," Gross said of the charrette that drew 400 to 500 people. While the library system's popularity wasn't exactly news - a consultant's study had determined in 2004 that 95.4 percent of county residents were library cardholders and nearly 5 million items had been circulated - the comments at the charrette hammered home that reality, she said.
A $5 million renovation to the central library, which was nearing its October 2001 completion when Gross arrived in the county, convinced her "that nothing more would be done for the Columbia branch," which opened in 1981. When residential construction began not long afterward on land behind the library, off South Entrance Road, she said she viewed that as "a missed opportunity" for expansion.
Schedule problems
Even today, the central library cannot schedule programming for adults and children at the same time because of insufficient parking, she said.
Still, Gross focused on the consultant's recommendation to increase county library space from 0.62 square feet per capita to the national standard of 1 square foot per capita, which requires an additional 142,000 square feet of space, a gain of 35 percent. She began by tackling the "pressing need" for a new Ellicott City library.
Plans now call for a 63,000- square-foot replacement for the 23,500-square-foot Charles E. Miller branch library, in lieu of the 82,500 square feet originally suggested in the report.
Changes
The new size was achieved mainly through the proposed transfer of a 300-seat auditorium from the Ellicott City project to a new or renovated central library and a slight reduction in foyer size and overall space.
"I am so fortunate to have a tremendously visionary board," said Gross of the library's seven trustees. "Our members have been incredibly supportive of this new concept."
Support is something Gross said she gets not only at work, but at home from her husband of 20 years, Tri Nguyen.
"He tells me I should never get a part-time job because I would still put in the same number of hours," she said of his teasing about her tendency to operate with a "work is play" philosophy.
She said she works to achieve balance by taking Tae Bo classes, going to movies and traveling.
Nguyen, who manages the family's real estate investments, is a classical guitarist. The couple met on her first day at the San Francisco music conservatory when a professor volunteered him to give her a campus tour, she said.
"I asked him on the spot to get a cup of coffee, and he said he'd do me one better and invited me for dinner," she recalled. "It was love at first sight."
The couple live in Harper's Choice with their son, David Nguyen, a nationally ranked tennis player.
Tennis scholarship
An 18-year-old senior at Wilde Lake High School, David Nguyen plans to attend the University of Virginia this fall on a tennis scholarship. He and his father, who is his coach, travel around the world for tennis tournaments while he completes high school courses online, Gross said.
"Tri decided to become David's coach, though he doesn't play tennis himself," she said. "He said all he needed was for me to bring home all the books on coaching tennis that I could get my hands on."
To Gross, this personal example of self-directed learning illustrates another concept she has been incubating since her first job managing a law library in San Francisco - that of the library as a component of a strong educational system, on par with the school system and community college.
In education budget
To that end, beginning with fiscal year 2007, the library system now falls under the county's education budget instead of community services, she said.
"When I talk about quality of life and what makes Howard County a great place to live, I mention either the library or the school system first because I think of them in a similar way," said County Executive Ken Ulman. "Valerie is largely responsible for this mindset."
Gross also persuaded the county Chamber of Commerce to view the library under a different lens in 2003 when members agreed to consider librarians for their annual Educator of the Year award, she said.
Hope Chase, one of the library's two nominees that year, won the award.
The chamber also presented the library with a Nonprofit Business of the Year award in 2003.
Many of the library director's methods and management tenets regarding customer service are highlighted in a 2007 book, The Thriving Library, by Marylaine Block.
In an eight-page interview, the author examines Gross' philosophy on such innovations as the flourishing collaboration between the library and the school system called A+ Partners in Education.
Another success story is the annual Howard County Spelling Bee, scheduled for March 14, which sends its winner to compete in the Scripps-Howard national bee in Washington.
Gross said she persuaded organizers in 2004 to allow the library to hold a regional bee and it remains the only library registered with the national contest.
Similarly, the library won a national contest that same year to host Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, by first getting approval for the library to compete with bookstores for the honor.
"If there's an innovative way to do something unconventional that furthers the library's success - whether it be in education, economic development, or quality of life - then we are all over it," the director said about her staff, which she called "second to none."
But Gross is not one to rest on her laurels.
"I believe we never arrive," she said. "To stay the same is to fall behind."
From cars to seminars
"Choose Civility in Howard County," one of the library's most popular campaigns, is being expanded into a seminar.
In 2006, 20,000 free, green car magnets displaying the slogan - based on Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct, a book by Dr. P. M. Forni, a Johns Hopkins University professor - were offered at the county library's six branches. Purchased through a grant from the Horizon Foundation, another 20,000 magnets were reordered, and supplies are quickly running out, said library Director Valerie J. Gross.
A "Choose Civility Symposium," sponsored by the county library, is planned at Grace Community Church in Fulton for May 14. The meeting, which will feature a keynote speaker and small-group sessions, is free and open to the public.
"Imagine 'Choose Civility' in the workplace, at school or on the cell phone," said Gross. "We want to integrate civility into all aspects of our lives."
Janene Holzberg
Is someone in your neighborhood worth writing about? Is there an event that everyone in Howard County should be aware of? Neighbors columnist Janene Holzberg wants to know about it. E-mail Janene at jholzberg76@ msn.com, or call 410-461-4150.