Since its founding in 1996, the Des Moines Public Library Foundation has played a key role in providing financial support for the library system. While the library’s operational budget comes from the city of Des Moines, the foundation funds 87% of all library programming, including the Authors Visiting in Des Moines (AViD) speaker series. 

Kelly Shrock began her position as the executive director of the Des Moines Public Library Foundation on Oct. 5. The Business Record recently caught up with her. 

Tell me about your professional background and how your prior experiences led to your position at the Des Moines Public Library Foundation. 

I’m a fundraiser by training. I’ve been in higher ed and nonprofit fundraising for over 30 years, and previously I was president of a community foundation in Muncie, Ind., and did that role for 10 years. Prior to that, it was higher education fundraising with the Ball State Foundation. 

What were some of the things you were proud of that you worked on while in Muncie?

I was at the helm of the Community Foundation when we celebrated 30 and 35 years. We celebrated 30 days of community, where we featured different people and why they felt like Muncie was a great community. We got so many good comments. Whenever you’re at a foundation, you don’t want to be a best-kept secret, you want people to know about you. In terms of a marketing campaign, that really solidified what we were trying to accomplish, but it just made people have much greater community pride. I was really proud of that. I think the other thing was the development of the staff. When I came on board, there were five of us; when I left there were almost nine. I think building a team and investing in people are probably the smartest things you can do as a leader. The last thing I would note is that I chaired our county’s economic development organization, and serving on that board and learning about the ways in which economic development was touted in our community really helped strengthen my role as a grantmaker. It strengthened the work that I did as a community funder, and I think that my role as a community funder and my perspective helped strengthen the way that we advanced the community from an economic development perspective. I have a great deal of respect for folks that market and bring business into a community, or strengthen business that’s already there. It’s critically important to community success. 

One could argue that you’re still advancing the community with your position now. 

I absolutely always feel like that’s what I’m doing. We are absolutely advancing and advocating for this community. We have a great library, and great communities have great libraries and we want to keep it that way. So we’re here to, in perpetuity, support the great library system that we have, because today we know what makes a great library, but what about 20 years from now? We’re going to make sure that there’s still support there for that margin of excellence to help the library advance. Yes, the city of Des Moines does a fabulous job supporting the library and making sure that they have an ample budget, the foundation’s here to provide that margin of excellence. Eighty-seven percent of the free public programming that the library puts on is supported by the foundation. Those pop-up reading sessions, the summer reading program, the AViD series, all those free programs for all ages are supported by the foundation.

What drew you to work in libraries?

Who doesn’t love a library, right? It is the best kind of community public space that you can find. It’s open. It’s inviting. And it’s equal access for all. And I just think there’s so many things to be gained from being a reader. Libraries encourage us to be lifelong learners, to be curious, to ask good questions. I read myself to sleep every night. I like to stretch out in my bed and my comfy jammies and enjoy a good book. So I think for me, anytime I’m raising money for an organization, it has to be an organization that I can wrap my hands around and really appreciate and advocate for. A lot of what the library board is trying to accomplish is long-term sustainability. They want to make sure that the support that we provide the library system in Des Moines continues today, tomorrow and always. Building that library endowment and encouraging folks to include the Library Foundation in their philanthropic plans is really important, and I’m excited to be the one to help them get there. 

What sets the Des Moines Public Library system apart from other libraries you’ve seen?

It is a great library system. I think what sets it apart are not only its facilities, but the facilities are as unique as the neighborhoods that they serve. When you think about the six branches in the Des Moines Public Library system, so many of them are situated next to city parks. Two of our library branches are next to water parks. So, holy cow, what a fun thing to get to do as a kid, right? Water and cool books. Branch libraries understand the complexion and the character of their patrons because they serve that neighborhood. That’s really a great testament to those librarians, the branch managers that are understanding the communities. They talk to the neighborhood associations, they understand the patrons. They work one-on-one with folks. I can go outside my office on the second floor of Central Library at any point during the day, and a librarian is helping a patron at a computer figure out how to do a search for jobs, figure out how to make their resume look good. They’re giving them advice on how to tailor a search if they’re trying to find a specific product. Those kinds of conversations are happening all the time. The great programming is really an outgrowth of them being good listeners and being engaged with the community to know what’s important. 

What are you excited for with your position? What are some of your goals?

I’m really excited to get to know the community and be a part of the community. On Oct. 14, we hosted the Iowa Author Awards Dinner downtown. And at that event, we announced the launching of the Estes-Spaulding Society. That is a new donor recognition society for donors of the Library Foundation who have chosen to put the foundation in their will. It’s named for two trailblazing directors of the library: Elaine Graham Estes and Forrest Spaulding. I’m really looking forward to being able to have conversations with donors who have been longtime supporters of the Library Foundation, about how they would like to leave a legacy here in this community for the foundation to support the library system. I’m excited that the Library Foundation board is really forward-thinking, they’re looking at sustaining this effort long-term. I think growing the endowment is something that’s going to be a lot of fun, and we have a lot of loyal donors. We also have a lot of opportunity in the community to introduce new folks to what the Library Foundation does, and how you can support a vibrant library system.

There’s been a lot of political discourse recently about banning certain books from libraries. What are your thoughts on that? 

Forrest Spaulding was the library director on two different occasions here at Des Moines Public Library. Back in 1938, he wrote the Library Bill of Rights, which was adopted by the American Library Association in 1939. How exciting is that, for a Des Moines Public Library director to have authored what is still today, 83 years later, the Library Bill of Rights? At the Iowa Author Awards Dinner earlier this year, Elaine Estes led us as a combined group with the recitation of this bill of rights. And when she got to the one, “The library should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be prescribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” there was a resounding round of applause. We have a whole line of clothing here at the library, coffee mugs, T-shirts, [that say,] “I read banned books.” So I think the library has embraced that. And I think those folks that use the library certainly understand and appreciate access for all and access to all the materials that are there. The library shouldn’t be censored, it’s a public space and the public ought to be able to see and read – age appropriate, of course. Everybody should have access to the library, regardless of their background, regardless of their views. And libraries should advocate and educate for the love of learning and the ability for people to access information. 

What are your favorite books, or the books that have made the greatest impact?

I’ve had this question a lot. So, most impactful: “Gift From the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. That’s a book that I will read frequently, just because it’s helped me on my journey. When I was a younger person, when I was raising my kids, and as I’ve been embracing the emptiness phase of my life. The book that I have recommended most recently: “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.” She’s probably one of my favorite modern-day literary characters. I love a good mystery. Louise Penny is a good mystery writer. I’m a huge fan of Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan novels.