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The loving librarian

Urban library queen Darlene Harris would rather pass the book than the buck: "This community really needs somebody to do something. I'm that somebody."

By SHERRI DAY
Published May 20, 2005

HISTORIC YBOR - Though a librarian of librarians, Darlene Harris is anything but bookish. Her infectious laughter easily fills a room. If she spots a downtrodden friend or colleague, she is prone to a spontaneous version of She Bangs a la American Idol wanna-be William Hung.

Ask friends and co-workers about Harris, and the nicknames abound.

Ellie Mae Clampett. One she earned growing up in West Tampa because of the attention she paid stray animals.

Imelda Marcos. A shoe that fits because she owns more than 300 pairs.

Maya Angelou. Because, her friends say, she dispenses advice with a healthy dose of common sense and motherly wit.

In her job as principal librarian for urban libraries in the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, Harris is by her own admission part bookworm and part social worker. Patrons at the sites under her supervision, which include West Tampa, College Hill and Robert W. Saunders Sr. in Historic Ybor, are searching for more than engaging literature, she said.

"Our statistics show that we have a low circulation, but they don't show that we're not needed," said Harris, 45. "We're the nucleus of the community. Whatever the needs of the community are, we meet them."

Harris keeps shelves stocked with blockbuster reads. But she also searches for programs to benefit patrons who use urban libraries, which cater to a largely low-income population.

To help students prepare for the FCAT, Harris organized a three-month workshop on test taking strategies. She also held discussions on legal issues, home buying and good health. For the computer illiterate, Harris organized computer classes. Ill-mannered youth get to take lessons from an etiquette instructor.

"If she sees something that needs to be done, she's not afraid to go do it," said Freddie Surratt, a library technical assistant at the College Hill branch. "There's practically nowhere you can go in the community that somebody doesn't know Darlene. Even if they don't know her name, they know who she is."

Harris' path to her current career was a circuitous one.

In her senior year at Jefferson High School, she got good grades, participated in Upward Bound and cemented her popularity by winning a spot on the cheerleading squad. She planned to attend Howard or Florida State. Then, in the fall of 1977, she became pregnant.

Instead of cloaking herself in shame or disappearing until she gave birth, as was the custom for many young unwed mothers at the time, Harris held her head high. She was determined to prove naysayers wrong because many of them doubted her prospects for success.

In the spring of 1978, Harris' classmates voted her Best All-Around Student. Her due date nearing, Harris went to the prom and waddled across the stage to receive her diploma, graduating in the top 10 percent of her class.

She gave birth to her son in July and enrolled in the University of South Florida in August.

With the support of her family, Harris worked toward a degree in social work. But a summer internship with the Tampa Housing Authority soured her on the profession.

Harris dropped out of college in her junior year to take a job as a librarian's assistant at the College Hill branch. Although she never planned to become a librarian, she loved the work and eventually returned to USF to obtain her undergraduate degree in 1996. In 1998, she earned a master's degree in library and information sciences.

Many of Harris' patrons have come to regard her as a surrogate mother. Her co-workers say she's an innovative trailblazer, though some wonder why she has taken on more than dispensing books.

Harris is ever ready with an answer to motivate and inspire.

"We do things that you will not see at any other library because nobody wants to take that on," she said. "This community really needs somebody to do something. I'm that somebody."

- Sherri Day can be reached at 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com

JOB: Principal librarian of Hillsborough County's urban libraries, based at Robert W. Saunders Sr. Library in Historic Ybor

AGE: 45

GUILTY PLEASURE: More than 300 pairs of shoes; also loves designer handbags

NOW READING: The Known World, by Edward P. Jones

ALSO LIKES TO CURL UP WITH: Fuzzy, her 11-year-old cat

ON HER RING FINGER: the Ankh, the ancient Egyptian symbol of life

FAVORITE BOOKSTORE: Main Bookshop in Sarasota, which specializes in out-of-stock books

SPARE TIME: Mentors girls and performs community service

ATTITUDE ABOUT WORK: "I would do this for free, but they're paying me, so I'll take it. It's afforded me a lot of shoes."

[Last modified May 19, 2005, 08:41:13]