One goal at Toledo Lucas County Public Library is to offer services and programs with compassion, fulfilling the learning, information, idea and entertainment needs of all who enter. Leading with compassionate empathy is a skill that can be learned.

Recently, Ryan Dowd spoke to our staff and community about his work with those who are homeless. On his website, you can see his objective is to reduce problems and conflict while still remaining inclusive. During Dowd’s engaging workshops, he spoke about the importance of empathy for people with whom you are relating. As much as some might want to distance themselves from uncomfortable situations and behavior, the reality is we live in a world with people who are different and imperfect.

There are two parts to empathy. One is theory of the mind (also known as cognitive empathy), allowing a person to have an idea of what the other person is thinking and thus what they might need. The second part of empathy is compassionate empathy. This is what most people think about when discussing empathy. It is about being moved to answer the need. Our leadership is moved to answer the needs.

At the Library, our values state that we seek to build an organizational culture that is welcoming, objective, innovative, accountable and collaborative for ALL who walk through our doors. Serving all means that everyone can use Library services. There are very few places in our community where every person is welcome regardless of what they look like, how much money they have or whom they love.

There are many diverse communities in Lucas County, and the vision of the Library is to meet the needs in every corner. Some of these needs were the impetus for the Welcome TLC Librarian, the increase in services in Business and Workforce Department, personal finance programming and the Studio Lab, which encourages digital literacy skills that are so needed in the 21st century.

When people use the computers and ask for our assistance, librarians are ready to serve. While some librarians may speak another language, some of us do not. It is important to have librarians who understand how to communicate culturally with people who ask for our assistance. Having a Welcome TLC Librarian, who knows how to behave interculturally while serving others, answers needs of those who are assimilating into our community.

Librarians also answer the need to financially grow in the community. They regularly assist Library customers using the computers to obtain their credit reports, check stubs, social security and unemployment benefits and even more sensitive information. Some may not know where or how they can navigate public and private resources. Librarians assist them, while also protecting the privacy of their information. In addition, there are librarians who specialize in helping people create a business or non-profit organization.

Librarians are not social workers or case managers, but must be emotionally as well as intellectually intelligent. Emotions are contagious. Studies show that words can hurt or heal, thanks to mirror neurons in the frontal cortex of our brains. Serving with compassionate empathy matters. We are all living in this world together, and all of us are welcome to use the Library. At its best the public library is the People’s University. Therefore, Toledo Lucas County Public Library also serves with compassionate empathy.