Books always have been at the heart of Mt. Lebanon library director
Robyn Vittek enjoys the ambiance of Mt. Lebanon Library’s outdoor garden.
Mt. Lebanon Library director Robyn Vittek spends time with Katherine Long at the Lego table in the children’s library.
Mt. Lebanon Library director Robyn Vittek
When Robyn Vittek was hired in November as director of the highly regarded Mt. Lebanon Public Library, she knew she was at a place that shared her passion.
It’s a passion for books that has resembled a love-hate relationship since her childhood, as in loving everything she picked up to read and hating the times she would get in trouble for it.
“I would hide other books inside my textbooks during school because I already read through what was handed out to the class,” she recalled. “I also wasn’t allowed to have a light on after I went to bed, so I would just go out and read by the street light outside of our house.”
From children’s literature to Girl Scout handbooks and recreational vehicle magazines, she just couldn’t say no.
While her love of books ceased to fade, like most college students, the vision of what she wanted to do for the rest of her life did during her undergraduate years. Despite understanding her self-admitted weakness of being somewhat messy, the inspired Vittek chose graphic design for the creativity.
“A lot of college kids, like myself at one time, don’t really have an idea,” she said. “Once I took English classes, it was easy for me, so I just kind of naturally went in that direction. But after getting out of school, I didn’t know what to do with just an English degree.”
Not knowing what to do led Vittek to taking two part-time jobs for a few months, one as a part-time library assistant at the Brilliant Branch of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio, which she was able to keep to finish her education at nearby Franciscan University.
As the “low man on the totem pole” phrase reiterated itself during the monotonous stacking of books day in and day out, a particular VOYA magazine coming across the desk caught Vittek’s eye one particular day.
VOYA, which stands for Voice of Youth Advocates, is the leading library journal dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians. It also might have been one of the few things Vittek didn’t read until that day.
“My dad passed away in a tractor accident on Jan. 1, 2001, just shy of his 47th birthday,” she said about her rough couple of months of student teaching at Franciscan. “He was a farmer and worked at Weirton Steel, like the entire side of his family. When he got off double shifts, he would bale hay, take care of the animals or ride sisters with my horses. He never sat still. But he never understood the direction I was going when I started in college.”
After flipping through the VOYA publication, the realization of making that “job” into a career was an opportunity, made even more possible from a fellow Ohioan.
As comedian Drew Carey sat in the contestant’s chair of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” playing for a donation to the Ohio Public Library, he confidently and correctly answered a $500,000 question.
Fifty thousand dollars of the winnings were split among 10 people pursuing a career in teen librarianship, a path Vittek applied to pursue at Kent State University only a few months before.
“I applied for Kent State’s master of library and information science program at about that same time,” said Vittek. “I was not in a good place at the time. I didn’t want to leave my mothe. But to get into library school, to get that scholarship and to also be awarded a graduate assistantship that made my tuition free, it was just a natural fit.”
Her subsequent career eventually led her to taking over the director’s position in Mt. Lebanon, where the library last year had about 359,000 visitors and lent more than 588,00 physical items..
“Establishing a connection is the most important part of the job,” Vittek said. “You can go to any library and check out a book, attend a program or use the computer, but to have a personal connection and feeling that this is my library, my community and my home. That is why I want to have personal connections.
“That happens every day for librarians,” she continued. “You get people that come in telling you how much they love the library and the staff. To hear that is just fabulous.”
She works with nearly 40 other staff members since taking over for former director Cynthia Richey, who retired in October and now lives in San Francisco.
“They are a really great staff,” said Vittek, who has an open invitation to reach out to her predecessor via email and telephone. “It is the least shy group of people I’ve ever worked with, because it’s their library. It’s not just a job. It’s a part of their everyday lives.”
Vittek just recently signed a lease for a local apartment, not only to alleviate her three hours of daily commuting, but to call Mt. Lebanon her home.
“I strongly believe in what libraries do and their importance in the community,” Vittek said. “The library is a reflection of the community around it. Good libraries are in places that value quality education and self-improvement. Mt. Lebanon is a prime example of that.”
And even though she would be amazed if her father would have ever set foot in a library, he definitely understood her love for it.
“I’m sure if you asked him, me being in this library would be the perfect fit.”