Public Libraries & Tech

Danny Hussey (’16) went from a web design job in Tennessee, to just a few years later overseeing technology at a unique public library on a Floridian island known as a vacation spot for the rich and famous—all because he decided to go back to school for an MSIS degree.

“I had worked at an ad agency doing web design after undergrad. I liked it but it was a cubicle job and it was all about the numbers and selling sites. It just wasn’t where I wanted to be but there was a position for a technology coordinator at a county library and I thought, well, I can do that,” he said.

Getting a Taste for Library Work

He got the job at Obion County Public Library in Union City, Tennessee, and found he had a knack for working in the environment. The library had the benefit of a generous donation from a philanthropist that funded a new facility, which included all new and upgraded technology. Hussey helped the library deploy a large indoor and outdoor wireless network, changed the network infrastructure, and assisted with programming for patrons that included gaming and 3D printing. His experience prompted him to start exploring master’s programs so he could become a librarian, and he turned to the ALA-accredited program in his home state that also happened to offer an online degree option.

“You get a lot of value for the money from University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Information Sciences. Dr. Bishop was a huge part of my life there, the fact he was so progressive and was open to ideas that were far out, technology that was far-seeing,” he said. “The knowledge you’re going to gather from the professors, the price point for the program, the accreditation for the program, the higher likelihood of employment and your value and compensation for having the master’s versus not, it’s a smart decision to pursue a master’s from that school.”

Hussey clarified he wasn’t trying to say SIS is a budget school, because it’s not. But one of the things he’s learned during his education and career is cost-benefit analysis, and how that can translate to libraries. Business isn’t everyone’s favorite part of librarianship, but it’s one he’s become quite familiar with in the various roles he’s had since graduating with his MSIS.

“We want to see wealth flow to libraries, we want to ensure the future of libraries. Library is a business and it’s a very difficult business, and UT taught me that. UT taught me the professional aspects of librarianship and the business of libraries, where we came from, and where we’re going,” he said.

Becoming a Librarian

Hussey became well-acquainted with the business of libraries when he was about halfway through the MSIS program and took an associate director position at a county library. It didn’t incorporate the technology aspect as much, and he missed that, but he gained a wealth of experience from the role—a lot of which came about when he was battling for financial support and resources.

“I’d get pretty passionate about defending this library and that’s how I became assistant director, but I got too deep into the politics and I like technology and doing programs,” he said.

His eye started wandering a bit and one job posting in particular caught his attention: information technology manager at Sanibel Public Library. Sanibel is a resort island known for conservation measures that have prevented it from turning into the typical tourist trap. It’s also known for being a place where wealthy people retire or purchase vacation homes.

The Sanibel Public Library is also unique, in that it isn’t a city or county library but rather overseen by a government tribunal. Because of the nature of the island, the money that funds the library is more than what typical public libraries receive, allowing for innovative and expensive technologies to be purchased for it. In other words, it was a dream job for Hussey.

“I thought, there’s no way I’m going to get this. But I thought, I need to get my resume tricked out and I’d just got done with a portfolio and I need to be super prepared. I had a job and I was happy, but this would force me to put my best foot forward, so I got everything ready,” he said.

He had applied through a recruitment company and before he knew it, they were offering to fly him to Sanibel for an interview.

“I got down here and it’s just beautiful, it’s as close as you can get to heaven in the United States. It’s warm year-round, the water is crystal clear,” he said.

At the interview itself, Hussey presented a portfolio filled with images, and each image was paired with a story about the programs and networks he implemented, and the work he had done. He also made sure to tell his own personal story, about his journey into the profession and his family life.

“I know how close libraries are to their communities but I also know how close staff can become and it’s a relationship, and I wanted to be totally honest about who I was and the character I play and that it’s compatible with the existing team and the value I bring. If I can’t make things better than I found it, then I don’t need to be here,” he said.

Years later, the person who interviewed him told Hussey she was very impressed with his presentation. Which is likely why, to his surprise, he was offered the job. Hussey moved his family more than 1,000 miles away from home to a new life on Sanibel Island.

Sanibel County Public Library

When Hussey arrived at his new job, the library was undergoing a $10 million renovation that included building a network from the ground up, which he designed. The network has a robust internal and external network that is high-end fiber optic and is very fast.

He has two assistants, and his team hand-crafted a new website that was mobile-oriented, keeping in mind the specific needs of the library’s patrons. While the island has decent cell coverage, it’s still an island and they wanted a patron sitting on a beach with one bar on their phone to be able to download a book if they wanted to do so.

He also oversees a variety of programing, which has included topics such as cryptocurrency, 3D printing, and creating a makerspace for children and adults. There’s a digital floor in the children’s department where kids can make music, and a teen gaming lab with high-end PCs with video cards and big gaming chairs that make many a teen “freak out” Hussey said.

While it is an exciting library to work at, it was definitely an adjustment from the budget battles he left behind in Tennessee. That said, he quickly learned that income levels don’t matter, as libraries still exist to serve patrons in ways that no other organization does. He’s met people from all over the country who are giants in their fields, and even for them, the library is a valuable part of their lives. He has come to believe the library “elevator pitch” more and more the longer he stays in the field.

“Libraries are about people, they have nothing to do with technology, books, what type of building you’re in, it’s about the humans who come in here. Other tech guys in the field roll their eyes at me because I’m kind of hard on technology sometimes,” he said. “I love technology but I’m also very critical of it because the human and the user are so much more important than the technology or the process. Humans are the most complicated things to troubleshoot, a server and an app are so much easier to troubleshoot than figuring out what a human needs.”•