Creating Conversations

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SANDPOINT — As a young child Viktor Sjöberg can remember going to the library with his mother.

There, new worlds were opened through books and then the internet.

"That was also, like, a revolution for me. I don't think I had internet at home at that point. So I went there and was able to connect with people from all over the world and talk about music and collaborate on music. So that became like the, the hub for me.

"It's always been about access, it's always been about having something that's for everyone that's funded by everyone, where everyone has the ability to participate, you know, and I haven't found another platform in the community that has that potential," Sjöberg said.

The new East Bonner County Library District director said he loves the relationships created through libraries, of being able to work toward a shared mission and vision. Sjöberg also sees libraries as community healing spaces because they help different viewpoints learn about others.

Sjöberg has been working in libraries in one capacity or another for about 11 years, most recently working as assistant director at a library in Altadena in northeast Los Angeles County.

He learned about the position through an American Library Association email and intrigued by the post — his wife has a childhood friend who lives in Spokane and has always talked about Sandpoint — he decided to apply.

"And then as I went into the interview process, and got to know the people on the board and the staff when I came here, I just felt certain that this is the right place," Sjöberg "And so I asked my wife, right, let's book your ticket. So you can go up here as well and check it out. And she loved it just as much as I did."

While he had a strong influence in his role as assistant director, Sjöberg said he felt his next logical move was to become a library director in his own right so that he could realize some of the ideas he had in regards to libraries as well as their role in a community. After living in the L.A. area for the past two years, Sjöberg and his wife wanted a more rural lifestyle where they could connect with the local community.

"I also believe the power of a public library has to do a lot with its ability to connect the local community," he said, "and I felt that a smaller community would be an ideal place to do the type of work that I want to do, because I think it's already very much connected in a lot of ways."

And while there might be tensions, Sjöberg said he welcomes the chance to talk to everyone — and the chance to connect people with one another.

"It's different than the communities that I've worked in previously," he said. "But I also see some of the same patterns as well, in terms of socio-economic inequity, and, you know, lack of affordable housing and those types of things."

With the East Bonner County Library District about to embark on a new strategic plan, Sjöberg views it as an ideal way to learn about the community and what residents hope to see the library be — and to help achieve those goals.

"And it's like, to me that ultimate opportunity to really get to know a community and to learn more about its aspirations and the challenges that people see and also the opportunities that people can kind of collectively and individually identify," he said.

Sjöberg said the timing for a strategic plan is ideal with communities opening up and activities returning to in-person rather than via Zoom or on the other side of a computer screen.

"So much has changed both for us and for the people in the community," Sjöberg said. "So many people are leaving their jobs, they're reconsidering where they're at in their life in many different ways. So I think this is like the perfect time to do that."

The new library director views the process driven by conversations with all groups to get a sense of the broader, community aspirations.

"It's going to be a very community-focused process, where we're not necessarily going to be focusing exclusively on the library, but really those broader, community aspirations, what kind of community do you want to live in?," he said. "Why is that important to you? And what are some things that need to happen in order for that to become a reality?"

Library staff will then take that community knowledge and analyze it to determine common themes to help guide the district in moving forward.

"That's the kind of work that I want to do on a continuous basis," Sjöberg said. "I want to keep listening to people. That's the next stage for libraries. Libraries used to be a place where you would come and they would help you but it wouldn't necessarily be like a place that would invite you in unless you already knew about it, you know, you kind of have to approach the library."

Libraries then transitioned into a place to go for things like story times and other activities, which would then be promoted by the library. But again, the conversation could be one-sided, Sjöberg said.

"I think we're at the stage now where we're just here to listen and learn from people," he said. "We're at that point [that]we're not going to be talking about existing solutions so much. We're going to talk to new people about their lives and learn how to create new solutions."

While he has ideas, Sjöberg said he doesn't want to be prescriptive, telling people what they should do or what the solutions are. Instead, he wants to hear from the community and have that be the starting point, where together, the community and staff develop that vision and those solutions. Where some might see tensions, he said he sees opportunities for conversation, for learning.

"I believe that you learn a lot more from from people that have had different experiences than you have and have maybe different opinions than you have," Sjöberg said. "And there's always going to be a way to find those commonalities that we can all agree on, as well. And once we do that, I think we have a better way to then have like a more of a human relationship and not be screaming at each other over Facebook or whatever it might be."

Sjöberg expects the process to start within a few weeks, adding he is looking forward to the community conversations that will be at the heart of the process. That process will define what the library district's mission and vision will be for the next few years.

"I think a big part of it is just initiating conversations, and maybe remember to stop talking about our existing solutions, and just work on creating new ones with the community," he added. "Because I think that's the only way you're really going to have a really healthy community is when everyone's participating. And of course, you're not going to get every single person but if you can get enough people from that represent a wide array of the community, you can really choose to create things that are truly relevant to everyone in the community, and whether or not they choose to participate is another question. But that's why it's so important to have everyone at the table."

Libraries have evolved over the years, moving from strictly being distribution centers of materials to being community centers.

"I think at this point, we're at the stage of [the] library as movement, is what some people talk about, which is, I think, the most exciting," Sjöberg said. "I think we and we will continue to do all of those things that we've always done, including the distribution of materials that keeps going as a core part of our business. But in terms of affecting social change and affecting the well-being of all in the community, we are like a very strong independent force if we have the the vision and leadership to make that happen. So I think that's where we're at.

While challenging, Sjöberg in a way the pandemic has also been an amazing opportunity for libraries to try new things and reinvent ways to reach their communities.

"With COVID, it was really like, the entire playbook was thrown out the window," he said. "And it's like, all of a sudden, bring Viktor over here. You know, what, what kind of ideas does he have now? So it's been really interesting to be able to reinvent services."

But perhaps the most important things has been how democratic the process has been, with ideas coming from everyone from library pages to library administrators — with all being equally valuable.

"This was a time where everyone had ideas, and it was welcomed, you know, and we were able to have this democratic participatory process, which is something that certainly I intend to keep going forever because it's, that goes back to that whole thing about different perspectives," he added. "I feel like you make good decisions based on having a multitude of perspectives and considering those perspectives. So that's been really, really inspiring to me."