The Road to Annual: Saturday, June 22
“You have to want to come here,” Debbie Winlock told us when we started planning our visit to Page (AZ) Public Library. Named 2023’s best small library in America by Library Journal, this beloved community institution is two hours from the nearest town, nestled in Coconino County in northern Arizona. Page was founded as a government camp to facilitate the construction of the Glen Canyon dam in 1957, a public works project that transformed the Colorado river and created Lake Powell, one of the largest manmade lakes in the United States. Page is a border town. Lena Fowler, District 5 supervisor, described multiple intersecting entities: the Navajo Nation, Utah, the National Parks Service, and others. “But we all work together,” Fowler said.
From left, Lisa Lewis (President, AzLA), Debbie Winlock (Library Manager), Emily Drabinski, Bill Diak (Mayor), Lena Fowler District 5 Supervisor), and Nikita Carpenter.
Winlock and her staff definitely put in the work. Called the “heartbeat” of Page by multiple people we interviewed, the library runs summer reading programs, video game programs, storytimes–the full suite of contemporary public library offerings. Partnerships with local schools expand literacy programming and funding from the state enables the library to work with food bank partners to provide meals to a service population marked by poverty rates higher than the national average. The program includes “weekend backpacks” that ensure no one goes hungry when school is out or the library is closed. We had planned to record in a program room but the sound quality was tough–so many refrigerators running.
Nikita and Leah set up for our last shoot day.
Meeting the needs of the people of Page and surrounding areas is at the heart of Winlock’s work. The library is a consistent presence at all community events, essential outreach that enables the staff to develop programs and services that address the needs of the community. “When we find out someone needs something,” said Winlock, “we do our best to get it to them.” We were joined by Lisa Lewis, outgoing president of the Arizona Library Association. When she took the helm of the chapter, it had around 300 members–that number climbed to 1100 during her two years of service. Expanding crucial institutions must be an Arizona way.
Our visit coincided with the last few weeks that Seairah Combest, the library’s children’s coordinator, would be working in Page—she’s headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, to be closer to her family. But that means leaving the family she and others have created in this library, built in the bluffs of the Colorado plateau. Her departure will be a big loss for the community—we all did a little crying–but she’s leaving behind a vibrant and engaged youth services program that everyone in the community can be proud of.
Mileage: 0
Soundtrack: Radiohead, wind
