Tina Zins, the Centre County Library & Historical Museum’s new executive director, poses inside the library. PHOTO PROVIDED

BELLEFONTE — As the Centre County Library & Historical Museum’s new executive director, Tina Zins says she wants to build a more inclusive and accessible library — and she’s starting by asking the community what that should look like.

Zins, who began the role in March, succeeds longtime Executive Director Denise Sticha, who retired in December after more than seven years leading the library and historical museum. Since stepping into the position, Zins has been visiting the library’s branches, meeting patrons and collecting input to help shape its future.

Rather than begin with sweeping changes as others might, her focus is on understanding the communities the library already serves. That process, she said, begins with listening.

“I’m very excited to be here, and I’m eager to start talking to people — and hopefully talking with our staff, too — to design programs and services that meet everyone’s needs,” she said.

Zins has held director roles in libraries, both large and small, since 2010, experience that has shaped her approach to community engagement and reinforced the broader role libraries can play beyond lending books. That approach, she said, has meant spending “quite a bit of time out there, talking to everyone.”

“It’s been interesting just to learn how diverse our community really is,” she said.

That diversity, she explained, is reflected in the library’s day-to-day users — from Amish families and college students to seniors and schoolchildren — who each bring different expectations and needs to the same space.

Those differences are evident from branch to branch, shaping how each location is used and what services matter most. Meeting those needs, Zins said, will require programming and outreach tailored to each community.

Collaboration, she added, will be central to that effort.

“We want to partner with everyone — whether it’s schools, nonprofits, businesses, individuals — I think everyone can bring something to the table,” she said.

Those partnerships could take many forms, Zins explained, from community members leading programs inside library spaces to coordinated efforts with school districts aimed at expanding student access to library resources.

“I think that could just bring so much to the library, and we want to do so much more,” Zins said. “But I think in order to do all of that, we do need a plan in place.”

That plan, she said, will start with a formal community assessment that will guide a broader strategic planning effort to establish organizational goals. The assessment itself will focus on how different communities use library services and where additional resources or programming may be needed.

Zins said she has led similar efforts in previous roles, including at Penn Hills Library, a large suburban system outside Pittsburgh, where staff gathered input through interviews, surveys and focus groups.

“We talked to a lot of people just to gauge what they wanted from the library, what they wanted to see, and I think that we can do that here, too,” Zins said. “We want to talk to people, we want to listen and hopefully be as responsive to their feedback as possible.”

One example of how the assessment could shape programming decisions relates to the library’s popular early childhood programs at its Bellefonte and Philipsburg branches. While popular in their usual morning time slots, she said an assessment could help determine whether different scheduling — or additional offerings — would better meet families’ needs. The same process could also help identify programming gaps for teens, whom Zins has identified as an underserved population.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to offer even more classes and events to be more accessible to more families.”

Beyond better serving current patrons, Zins also wants to bring more people into the library.

“We want to be as accessible as possible,” she said.

One way she is working to do that is by reducing barriers to library use.

The Centre County Library has been fine-free for overdue books since 2020, and Zins said they’ve seen a lot of success with that.

“These fees, these bills, these notifications that are sent out — we see that’s driving people away,” she said, so she is exploring additional ways to reduce barriers prospective patrons face.

One idea she raised was eliminating replacement fees.

“What’s happening right now is we’re charging the community full price for heavily used items that have circulated many, many times,” she said, noting the fees account for less than 1% of the library’s budget and could be eliminated with minimal financial impact.

Zins said the goal is to ensure patrons are not discouraged from returning after accidents involving damaged or lost materials.

“We don’t want you to fear coming back to the library,” she stressed.

She added that other potential changes could include simplifying the process for getting a library card by reducing identification requirements that may deter young people or members of the local Amish community. Other ideas include eliminating metered parking outside the Bellefonte location and exploring transportation options.

“We want to make sure that people can easily access library resources, whether it’s computer use, checking something out, getting a library card or attending a program,” she said.

Zins sees libraries as an essential “third space” — a public place outside of home and work where people can gather and connect.

“I think more than ever, people are looking for a free, open space to meet, collaborate, connect,” she said. “Those spaces are kind of rare, so I think just by offering space we’re meeting a huge need.”

She said libraries meet that need not only through physical space, but through programming that brings people together across age groups and backgrounds.

For Zins, that work comes back to the broader role of libraries in the community.

“Why I love the library field,” Zins said, “is that the impact that the library has on the community is absolutely huge.”

To learn more about the Centre County Library & Historical Museum, visit www.centrecountylibrary.org/.