More than books

Today’s library is a community living room — filled with children, humming with purpose, stacked not only with books but with computers, DVDs, cake pans, instruments, karaoke machines and, yes, even a ghost hunting kit. Two women who know this better than almost anyone are St. Paul members Lexie Reiling and Courtney Mongiat, both longtime fixtures of Quad Cities public library life and both guided by the same conviction: that access to information, resources, and community is not just a privilege for some. It is a right for everyone.

Lexie Reiling: A new chapter 

Lexie grew up knowing what a library was for. She was shelving books at the Moline Public Library at 16, drawn in by a bubble window where she liked to sit and read.

“It was always a magical, safe space for me,” she says. “Getting the opportunity to work in one felt perfect.”

That first job led to a career that has taken her through nearly every corner of library work — youth services, teen programming, reference, and eventually assistant director at the Davenport Public Library, where she’s worked for nearly 16 years. Along the way, she discovered something important: the library keeps changing because communities keep changing.

“There are things that are core to what libraries do but, the most consistent thing about libraries is that they’re always evolving — depending on the latest technology, what’s going on in the world.

We pay attention and figure out how we can help,” she said. “I just want to help people which feels especially daunting because there’s so much need in the world. I think about what I can do in my corner of the world to make life better. How many places can you go and get access to anything without being expected to give up your money? We get to give people access to books, programs, and events, but we also provide unexpected things like our seed library (where you can get free seeds to grow at home) and our Library of Things. Providing access to all of that for free makes an impact on people’s lives.”

The Library of Things is a collection of items patrons can borrow the way they would a book. People can check out big backyard games, instruments, a karaoke machine, a dinosaur cake pan. The most-borrowed item is the ghost hunting kit.

She is passionate, too, about what a thriving library means for a community.

“Having a library that has that access connects you to so many critical resources people wouldn’t have otherwise,” she said. “Apply for a job, a place to live, for unemployment. And not just the access but having staff to guide you through the process. If you haven’t used that technology, you don’t know how to use it. You can book a librarian appointment and have someone walk you through it.”

Now, by the time this issue reaches your mailbox, Lexie will have made a significant leap: she is the new director of the LeClaire Community Library.
“I’m excited for this new role. It’ll be nice to be at a small, homey neighborhood library where I’m hands-on with the community.”

Courtney Mongiat: Showing up 

Courtney grew up in Maine, checking out a tote bag full of books from the library every week. She moved to the Quad Cities 18 years ago, began volunteering at the Bettendorf Public Library while pregnant with her son Piren, and has been on staff there for 15 years.

As a programming librarian, Courtney works directly with the community in ways that regularly surprise people. There is a gentleman who calls the library to ask about the weather in Silvis, Ill. People who need help printing a boarding pass, a return label, a job application.

“It’s having a place to go. A place where you can find entertainment, information, and help. A place for seniors, a place for kids, a place where programming in the summer gives children something to do and helps smooth over educational gaps. A place where everyone is welcome,” she said. “It’s a place to build community. Libraries are a wonderful place to work. You get to do so many unexpected things.”

She oversees an adult book discussion group that has been meeting for more than 60 years — she picked up the torch from her predecessor. She also co-leads the All Voices Book Club with the young adult librarian — a multigenerational group, ages 13 and up, reading books centered on marginalized voices.

“Thanks to the the book clubs I oversee, I’ve been exposed to books I never would have read on my own. You’ll have teenagers mixed with people in their 20s and 30s and retirement-age folks, all talking about the same book,” she said. “It’s really something.”

A little free library at St. Paul

St. Paul member Tom Siegel, along with design help from his wife JoAnn, handcrafted a Little Free Library box on the north side of the St. Paul campus across from Vander Veer Park. Tom, a retired engineer who helped build his own home in 1984, enjoys crafting everything from barns to backyard sheds on his four-acre property. JoAnn sourced inspiration from Pinterest, and together they matched the box’s blue color to St. Paul’s existing signage.

A Little Free Library is a small, weatherproof book exchange built on the “take a book, share a book” principle. Anyone can take a book for free or leave books to share, strengthening community ties through around-the-clock access to reading. There is no obligation to replace a book immediately; sharing is simply encouraged.