Library builds on role as unifying force in west Las Vegas

In April 1992, after the news had had a chance to settle in, hundreds of west Las Vegas residents took to the streets.

Infuriated that the Los Angeles police officers accused of beating Rodney King had been found not guilty, they began piling out of their homes in the late afternoon, joining long streams of people heading toward downtown. Turned back by Metro Police, the march turned into a rampage.

If buildings in west Las Vegas on the morning of May 1, 1992, looked like they'd been through a riot, it was because they had. Six million dollars worth of riot damage, in fact.

The West Las Vegas library, though, came through with a but scratch -- a door that got kicked in. Otherwise unfazed, unruffled. A true community center, still standing and standing tall.

"You would have expected this building to have been burned to the ground," said Kelly Richards, the library's administrator for the past five years.

Except for that door, Richards cannot recall another act of vandalism at the library in its 10 years of existence -- no graffiti, no broken windows, no break-ins.

Library employees theorize that among the rioters in 1992 were friends of the library who prevented anyone from entering and destroying its contents, which includes one of the city's most comprehensive collections of books on African-American subjects.

The theory is plausible, because the library has many friends -- and the number continues to grow as employees follow an outreach program aimed at creating good reading habits for children and changing old ways of learning for adults.

Last year the library circulated a record 185,030 books and other materials. Officials say it's on track this year to exceed that number.

Richards says the success of the library, which is part of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, is owed to the employees. And the employees say a large part of the library's success is owed to Richards, who holds a degree in library science.

The branch has a collection of religious volumes that is unsurpassed in the district. And it continues to maintain its prized collection of African-American history and culture volumes, which is utilized by researchers throughout the district. It also has a large collection of the latest movies on videocassette, which may be checked out for free.

"There is no video store in this area," Richards explained. "We thought if we were to get videos here, we would attract adults."

The videos became a marketing tool -- books that might be of interest to those getting videos were placed on racks near the video check-out counter.

"It's like in a grocery store -- placement of merchandise is an important marketing tool," Richards said. "We hoped when the people would check out a video they would grab a book at the same time and eventually they might start grabbing books instead of videos."

The video rental service has indeed helped bring in the adults and turn many into readers.

Richards said the program's success is seen in increased circulation.

Those numbers reflect the success of the overall outreach program, which is aimed primarily at children.

"We had two goals (when the outreach program began in 1994): getting kids into the habit of reading and getting adults to change their learning habits," Richards said.

Adults in the minority community are used to getting their information from each other, he noted, while those in other communities get it from a variety of sources, including the library.

Among methods used to bring in children is visits to schools by staff members.

The location of the library is also a factor in increased usage -- it sits on a parcel of land at 951 W. Lake Mead Boulevard that also includes Doolittle Park and the recently expanded Doolittle Community and Senior Center.

Many of the students who play at the park also use the library, especially if they must complete a school assignment before they can participate in a sport or other activity.

There also is a theater and culture center, where children and adults attend plays and other events.

"More than 1,100 groups met here last year -- 75,000 people," theater manager Joyce Thomas said. "We touch their lives, and they keep coming back -- they come back bringing their little brothers and sisters."

The center celebrates all cultures, though the African-American culture is predominant.

Richards said when the theater is used for any purpose, the library often sneaks in a "commercial" in one form or another -- yet another marketing tool proven to be successful.

In addition to an occasional commercial, books that might be of interest to those who use the theater are put on display during their gatherings.

Felton Thomas, no relation to Joyce, began visiting the West Las Vegas Library when it was in a more humble building at Jackson Avenue and D Street.

The 32-year-old librarian spent so much time in the library as a youth, reading and volunteering, that eventually he was hired as a part-time page, helping children.

Now it's his career.

Thomas said there was some resistance to building the new library in 1988. But community support prevailed and now the West Las Vegas Library has become a best seller.

The main focus of its outreach program continues to be getting children into the library.

The program has been so successful the 1,000-square-foot children's section is going to be increased to about 5,000 square feet -- an $800,000 building project.

"Normally the children's portion of a library's circulation is about 25 percent of the overall circulation," Richards said, "but at West Las Vegas it's 50 to 60 percent."

Nancy Hutchinson, who heads the young people's library at West Las Vegas, said the space being added for the children is good, but it isn't enough and so efforts are under way to raise an additional $200,000 from whatever sources are available to add even more room for the children.

"This library plays an integral role in the community," Hutchinson said. "Everyone works together to help kids have a chance -- we want them to be aware of their heritage and their future."

Cynthia Watson, principal of Echoes Christian Academy, says the West Las Vegas Library is a second home for children in the district.

"It's a safe haven, like taking your child to Aunt Suzie's house," Watson said.

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