Charles Brown has been living in St. Louis libraries all his life. And the Des Peres branch library that he has managed since March is indeed his second home. The library itself seems to reflect Brown, his thinking about libraries, his awareness of the problems of his patrons and the neighborhood itself.
Inspite of its crowded conditions, the library’s brightness and small but well rounded and well displayed collection mirrors Charles Brown’s own alertness and a condition that can be described only as strictly being “with it.” The library is filled literally to overflowing with bright posters, pictures done by neighborhood children, prints which may be borrowed, half a dozen circular racks of popular fiction — Black literature, mysteries, romance — in paperback. Some easy chairs, a table or two, holders of useful information on lawn care, and a good selection of current periodicals round out its charm.
It is often filled with children who have a hundred questions for Brown — “Got any comedy books?”
He pulls out some Peanuts. “Is my card ready?” “No, come back tomorrow.” The patrons are casual in the library. It has no air of a hallowed spot that smells slightly musty; it is rather like Charles Brown in striped bell-bottoms, wide, art nouveau tie, who sets a free, informal pace.
Brown, a native St. Louisian, recently returned from two years at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and now attends Washington University night school in addition to his full-time work at the library.
The library, at the corner of Kingsbury and Des Peres, offers a wide variety of services inspite of its size. These include a story hour for young children from September through May at 10:00 each morning, a Black History club for young people sponsored by a social studies teacher, and a Young Writers Club.
In addition to these services, small displays of books on current issues are in prominent view, including a good collection of books on ecology and some current biographies.
Since each branch orders its own collection, a large part of Brown’s responsibility lies in recognizing the reading tastes and needs of his patrons who are 60 percent juvenile and 40 percent adult. In addition to good selections for children and adolescents, he has learned that mysteries and science fiction rate high with the adult group.
Other special services include Braille books and talking records. Special requests for books not in the Des Peres collection can usually be obtained in two or three days from other branches.
Brown’s dream of making the library a true neighborhood center will be further realized when he and his personnel move in late July or early August across the street to more spacious and attractive quarters. Instead of doing all ordering, cataloguing and other office work in a small cluttered room the librarians will then have two large work rooms which will give ample working areas and furnish storage space for back issues of some periodicals.
Instead of a few chairs, there will be an entire teen-corner with couches and low tables and a very large area for juveniles to move about in. A large activity area in the rear will allow the library to show feature length popular films, many more children’s films, and generally to expand facilities for meeting places and discussions.
The library collection now stands at around 13,500 volumes, but Brown points out that the new quarters would allow more rapid expansion IF more money were available. Consequently he urges passage of the library bond issue in the November election. So if we see a tall, attractive fellow lobbying for that passage it will likely be Charles Brown looking out for the interests of the people he serves so well.
Originally published in The Paper, August 1970.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1970_08.pdf, printed page(s) 12.
Original photograph, PDF page 12: Bob Moore.
