Samuel Elkind, head librarian at Vancouver\u2019s Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, will be joining the team at Richmond Public Library later this month. <\/i>(photo by Anne Lerner)<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i>As head librarian at Vancouver\u2019s Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, Samuel Elkind oversees everything from daily operations to long-term planning \u2013 curating collections, developing programs and building systems designed to serve the community. He put it plainly: \u201cIf I were hit by a bus tomorrow, I want the library to run without a hitch.\u201d His core belief is that a library should be resilient, community-rooted and built to thrive beyond any one person.<\/p>\n
Elkind\u2019s approach leaves the Waldman in a secure place, as he soon moves on to Richmond Public Library. He will remain on the on-call list for the Waldman and assist through volunteering when he can, he said, in keeping with his \u201cgoals of guaranteeing the long-term continuity and stewardship of the Isaac Waldman Library.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my intention to stay on long enough to train my successor,\u201d Elkind told the Independent. This is something that he, his boss, Hila Olyan, senior director of programs at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, and Eldad Goldfarb, the JCC\u2019s executive director, planned from the beginning, he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to make sure that whoever replaces me receives training comparable to that which they would receive in a larger system, which I was so fortunate to have,\u201d he said of his start at the Waldman this past January. \u201cThe master\u2019s of library and information studies prepares you very well for the job, but there are some things that can only be learned in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Elkind didn\u2019t begin his career in a library, but he built one, even before becoming a librarian.<\/p>\n At a summer arts camp in New Jersey, he came across a neglected shelf labeled \u201clibrary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a library,\u201d he recalled. \u201cSo, I built shelves, gathered books and set up a simple lending system. I had no idea what I was doing, but the kids needed stories \u2013 and that was enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even as his career moved in other directions, the idea of building spaces for stories stayed with him. Years later, while working in university admissions, he began to question his path. \u201cI couldn\u2019t figure out why I felt off,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, after talking with colleagues and friends, I realized I was drawn to information access and protection, especially the preservation of stories that define who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n That clarity led him to the University of British Columbia, where he completed a dual master\u2019s degree in archival studies, and library and information studies. When the opportunity to lead the Waldman Library arose, he was ready. \u201cI went to JCC camp. I taught at synagogues. It just felt like everything was falling into place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Elkind came to the Waldman from\u00a0Vancouver Public Library, where\u00a0he worked a contract position as a children\u2019s librarian. At the Waldman, he modernized the space \u2013 digitizing decades of program data, updating signage, rethinking the floor plan, and overhauling internal workflows. He also expanded the library\u2019s public-facing programming, from weekly storytimes to Sunday Lego Stay and Play sessions, which align with the JCC\u2019s activity schedule. \u201cWhat do you do before or after swim lessons?\u201d he asked. \u201cGo to the library!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur library is a bustling place, and has been becoming busier,\u201d confirmed Olyan.\u00a0\u201cThe library tends to service older adults and young children during the daytime hours but, come 3:30 in the afternoon, it is packed with school-age children reading books, playing games, doing crafts and checking out the computer.\u00a0Sundays are busy with families and creative young people who take part in our weekly Lego club.\u201d<\/p>\n To Elkind, these aren\u2019t side projects \u2013 they\u2019re core to what makes a library matter. His philosophy is grounded in third place theory \u2013 the idea that, beyond home and work, people need a third space to simply be. \u201cLibraries are one of the last third spaces,\u201d he said. \u201cThere aren\u2019t many places left where you can just exist without spending money.\u201d<\/p>\n That value is embedded in the library. \u201cWe\u2019re providing space \u2013 quiet corners, conversation, presence \u2013 and those things are deeply needed,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>he said.<\/p>\n Elkind\u2019s inclusive lens extends beyond the JCC. He sits on the board of Out on the Shelves, Vancouver\u2019s oldest queer library, established in 1983. He is also the founder of Gaming Without Othering the Self (GWOOTS), a tabletop RPG (role-playing game) initiative fostering queer community through collaborative storytelling.<\/p>\n \u201cRole-playing games are group storytelling. More than just role play, it\u2019s one of the most ancient human experiences. It\u2019s about identity, imagination and connection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n GWOOTS runs weekly drop-in sessions across Vancouver with a focus on accessibility and community. \u201cIt started because I just wanted to run games for other grad students,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I saw how many people were using RPGs to process experiences, explore identity and build relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n For Elkind, GWOOTS and the Waldman are two different expressions of the same purpose. \u201cAt Waldman, I want to create space for the Jewish community. At GWOOTS, I want to create space for the queer community. But you don\u2019t have to be Jewish or queer to feel welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Elkind\u2019s commitment to belonging is shaped by lived experience. The day after the 2016 US election, he was sitting alone in a pizza shop near where he lived in California when two men entered wearing swastikas and began to spew antisemitic threats loudly. A waiter, sensing the danger, calmly ushered him out the back door.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one end of the spectrum,\u201d Elkind said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve also experienced radical acceptance in places I never expected.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He gave the example of walking into a game store in Maryland and spotting a sign that read, \u201cThis is a radically inclusive space. If you have a problem with that, leave.\u201d<\/p>\n His version of inclusion is not passive. \u201cTolerance implies I\u2019m gritting my teeth and allowing it,\u201d he explained. \u201cI don\u2019t grit my teeth for anything. I believe in acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n Storytelling, in every form, is central to Elkind\u2019s work. \u201cWhether you\u2019re building a library, running a game or telling a story, you\u2019re shaping memory,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s sacred work.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked what he\u2019d say to someone who\u2019s never stepped foot in the Waldman Library or joined a GWOOTS game, he doesn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cCome,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want you here. We want you to feel accepted and loved. We want you to be part of something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur librarian ensures a safe, welcoming space for everyone,\u201d said Olyan, who has started reviewing applications to fill the vacancy made by Elkind\u2019s departure. She said the JCC is looking for someone who has both \u201cthe professional qualifications and experience\u00a0to service\u00a0our community to the highest standards. And,\u00a0we\u2019re looking for someone who holds the same cultural and community values of the JCC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo, what we mean is that a strong candidate ideally\u00a0holds a master\u2019s degree in library sciences and experience working in a community or school library. They also have a strong sense of community, responsibility and excellence. They love helping people (especially\u00a0children and older\u00a0adults) and they are knowledgeable about Jewish culture and\/or literature.\u201d<\/p>\n The Waldman is the only\u00a0Jewish public library on Canada\u2019s West Coast, said Olyan. \u201cIt brings people together and connects them with Jewish history, culture and tradition. The library hosts a collection of approximately 17,000 books, mostly by Jewish authors and relating to Jewish topics, including a vast number of Hebrew books. It offers computers, iPads, space to read and work, games and toys.\u201d<\/p>\n The library opened in 1994, \u201cthanks to the dedication of local community members and volunteers,\u201d she said. \u201cIts name honours the late Isaac M. Waldman, who worked as a structural and civil engineer, and was an ardent volunteer and generous supporter of local Israeli and Jewish nonprofit groups. Mrs. Sophie Waldman donated the funds that enabled the library to open, in memory of her husband.\u201d<\/p>\n The library is run by the head librarian with a small team of library technicians, cataloguers and dedicated volunteers, said Olyan.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for volunteers who can support everyday operations, run special programs (including for children and older adults), and people willing to join our planning committee.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Elkind said he has \u201cabsolutely cherished\u201d his time at the JCC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI cannot recall a time that I have ever felt so appreciated in a position, or where I have been so able to see the positive results of my work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOver my time here, I have been fortunate to gain rare experience in library management, and have quickly become practically acquainted with aspects of the library field well outside of children\u2019s and teen services, some of which might have otherwise taken decades for me to encounter. I make the move to RPL comfortable in my ability to operate in libraries of all sizes,\u00a0and in any number of roles therein.\u201d<\/p>\n At Richmond Public Library, Elkind will be working as a librarian on the children\u2019s team, a role that includes providing information service and patron assistance to library-goers of all ages. When asked what he was most looking forward to at RPL, he said, \u201cIs it weird to say that I am looking forward to receiving a performance review? I am still early in my career and have a lot of growth and learning ahead of me. It is important to seek that out in many forms.<\/p>\n \u201cI have definitely grown in my current position, as a librarian and as an administrator,\u00a0and I am so lucky to have had this opportunity \u2013 I do not wish to sell that short by\u00a0any\u00a0means. Having another librarian to supervise me allows for a different type of growth, and an opportunity to learn the things that I\u00a0do not know\u00a0that I do not know.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Uriel Presman Chikiar<\/b>\u00a0is a student at Queen\u2019s University and serves as executive vice-president of external relations at Hillel Queen\u2019s.<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Samuel Elkind, head librarian at Vancouver\u2019s Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, will be joining the team at Richmond Public Library later this month. (photo by Anne Lerner) As head librarian at Vancouver\u2019s Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, Samuel Elkind oversees everything from daily operations to long-term planning \u2013 curating collections, developing programs and building systems […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24174,23300,2777,42,6460,4921,24172,4838,24173,635],"class_list":["post-47142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-gwoots","tag-hila-olyan","tag-inclusion","tag-jcc","tag-libraries","tag-richmond-public-library","tag-samuel-elkind","tag-storytelling","tag-third-space","tag-waldman-library"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}