[ back ]
Charlie Lamkin runs the city's smallest library almost singlehan
After spending countless hours in libraries earning three collegiate degrees — none of which were in library science — Charlie Lamkin never thought he’d develop a career as a librarian. But after 16 years leading the St. Louis Public Library’s Charing Cross branch, 356 N. Skinker Blvd., Lamkin said he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Aside from a high-school student who helps stock shelves for a few hours each afternoon, Lamkin is Charing Cross’ only employee. He describes the branch as a one-man operation, but he likes it that way.
“I like running it myself because I get to wear all the hats,” he said. “The only frustrating part is trying to manage everything yourself. The ebb and flow of everything is uncontainable, but it’s worth it to have the independence.”
Charing Cross is open 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, although it is closed from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturdays so Lamkin can take a break. Lamkin uses the morning hours during the week to take care of any administrative work.
Lamkin said at any given time there are about 4,000 total items in the Charing Cross branch. However, because many patrons use the library to transfer items in and out, last year the circulation of the library amounted to approximately 44,000 items.
“Some months, my circulation and attendance is just as much, if not more, than some of the full-size branches,” he said.
Lamkin said he particularly likes one perk of the job: exposure to new reading material and keeping up with what’s been recently published. But his favorite part of the job is interacting with the library’s visitors.
“I enjoy not only the branch but the people,” he said. “The people who come here make my job very easy.”
Due to its proximity to Washington University, the Parkview and Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhoods, Lamkin said many of the library’s visitors walk to the branch. Although there is a high turnover of students in the area, Lamkin said he is still able to recognize and get to know many of the users.
“Most people who come in, I know by name or at least by face,” he said. “A lot of the patrons like that I know them and know their personal reading tastes.”
Lamkin said many of his frequent visitors feel intimidated by the larger library branches and like the intimate feel of his branch. Although Lamkin said the branch is easy to miss when passing by, it still continues to attract curious locals.
“Some people have told me they’ve driven by for years and not known it was here,” he said. “But one day they notice, and they keep coming back.”
[ back ]
