UW iSchool alumnus Brian Bannon wasn't in the market for a change when the opportunity to become commissioner of the nation's second-largest library system arose. But when newly minted Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel came calling, Bannon figured the least he could do was listen.
"When I sat down and had my first meeting with him, I just felt his energy, and shared the excitement for what Chicago libraries could be in the context of where he is taking the city," recalls Bannon. "I couldn't say no."
From earning a Masters in Library and Information Science in 1999 to becoming head of the Chicago Public Library in less than 13 years is a remarkable achievement. But Bannon's meteoric rise comes as no surprise to those that know the 37-year-old University of Washington iSchool graduate.
"It's rare to see that kind of dramatic rise in the library profession," says iSchool Associate Professor and MLIS Program Chair Joe Janes. "So that's an indication of somebody really special--who's got great ideas, who works well with people, who's building a terrific track record, and now has one of the crown jewels of American librarianship."
Fast Track
Let's take a quick look at that track record. Bannon's interest in libraries was fostered during his undergraduate days at Pacific Lutheran University, where he recalls being influenced by a history professor who had been a librarian. "Part of my studies looked at the seminal role libraries play in pushing society forward, the concepts of access to information, information as the great connector, and the fuel that pushes individuals forward," says Bannon.
This is what led Bannon to the iSchool (then the Graduate School of Library and Information Science), where he took classis in archives and theory, and also did fieldwork and internships in what he describes as "just about every library type." This culminated in an internship at the Technology Resource Institute (TRI), which would later morph into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After graduation, Bannon was hired by the Gates Foundation, and spent a great deal of time visiting libraries around the U.S. "In addition to the work we were doing with technology, I saw firsthand the transformation role that libraries play in community. I decided then, public libraries were my calling."
Bannon left the Gates Foundation for the Seattle Public Library, where he started as head of technology instruction and was quickly promoted into a variety of management positions within the main library and branches. Here he was impressed with the collaborative and forward-thinking leadership style of Deborah Jacobs, whom he credits for taking him under her wing.
This management experience would serve him well six years later, when he was recruited to be the chief of branches for the San Francisco Library system. For five years it was his job to run the neighborhood libraries, and orchestrate the building design and the public process for a $200 million capital program involving 24 San Francisco branches. From there, Bannon transitioned into the role of chief information officer, leading the library's web, digital services and IT teams.
At that point, a MacArthur Foundation grant for a one-year study around digital media learning put Chicago on Bannon's radar. "A lot of us in libraries began looking at this model of digital media learning, and Chicago was the epicenter," he explains. Shortly thereafter, the mayor came calling.
Fresh Perspectives
So, what specifically was the attraction? "If you look at what the mayor is doing in Chicago, he's doing a couple of really strategic things. One is, he's recruiting leadership from different generations and backgrounds. Another interesting thing is that he's the first mayor to really look at bringing people into Chicago from other cities with an eye for fresh ideas and leadership. So I think he was looking for someone who had a vision for where the libraries were going, someone who would bring a perspective that would be in alignment with where he's taking the city. But also someone who could take a fresh look at what Chicago libraries are and what they could be."
Also required, of course, was a person with strong organizational leadership skills--something Brannon honed through his experiences at the iSchool and subsequent work in Seattle and San Francisco. That experience was evident right away during his transition in Chicago. "The first four weeks were really about learning and understanding," he explains. "The next two months have been about building a strategy."
This quick yet deliberate start was important; in Chicago, Bannon was replacing a beloved predecessor, Mary Dempsey, who had retired after 18 years at the helm. Given his high profile, first impressions were important. "Any time a person transitions in these types of leadership roles, it's really important to go in first to learn and understand, and then pretty quickly accelerate to having a plan. Because people want to know your vision, and what their place is within it, so they can get back to work."
As to what exactly that vision is, Bannon sums it up in straightforward terms. "Number one, articulating why we exist; what we do at our core as libraries. And here we're talking about libraries really being a place that connect people with information and ideas for the purpose of bettering their lives and ultimately our society.
"After that, the question is 'who do we serve?' I think this is where libraries struggle a bit, to be honest. They'll say 'well, we serve everyone, we serve all people, no matter who they are.' I don't agree with that mindset. I think that mission-driven organizations must have clarity about who they serve and why. The marker I use is to think about the people whose lives are changed fundamentally by the work we do.
"Then, it's a matter of aligning with what those people need and value--what's their life experience and what programmic interventions can we provide that are going to align with what they need and value. This requires understanding our results against those interventions. Here again, this is an area where libraries and mission-driven organizations in general don't do a great job. I'll also say my iSchool experience in data-driven decision-making is of value here: I maintain belief in using data to check your gut reactions."
Staying Connected
Obviously we're looking at the kind of progressive thinking that appealed to Chicago's mayor. But this computer-savvy commissioner also has a clear sense of how this thinking is connected to the past. "Look at where libraries started. Ben Franklin was an early influence on the modern understanding of the American library. His reading rooms created spaces where people, no matter what their background, could connect with the words on the shelves, and with one another. It happened that books were the format of the day. And while reading remains a critical element of success in life, and books are still the predominant way in which we communicate information, we also know that's changing. There's so many other ways that people are taking in information, so many different formats."
To illustrate, Bannon uses the example of a teen interested in gaming. "We're engaging them. We'll say, 'Let's have you blog about gaming. Let's have you talk about gaming.' So they're learning digital journalism, and they're learning how to express themselves. You don't have to do it though the typical ways we've done it in the past.
"In institutions like libraries, up until really the last 10 years, our business model was relatively stable. But it isn't any more, and it won't be. There's a lot of ways we can do it, and that's how I think we're going to focus in Chicago. That's the part that makes it exciting, and that's why I've stayed in libraries."
An irony to all of this is that there was a point early in Bannon's library education when he was decidedly not excited, and actually contemplated leaving. This was after his first year of graduate school. Fortunately for Bannon, this was also the point at which Mike Eisenberg was hired as dean. "Mike was so inspirational," recalls Bannon. "He told me, 'Brian, don't leave. We'll find a way to keep you engaged.' " Eisenberg made good on the promise. "I had one of the first graduate assistantships--at that point they weren't very common, and he figured out a way to get me into it."
Perhaps this explains why Bannon is now such an avid promoter of the school. "I'm so proud of graduating from the Information School at the University of Washington," he says. "The school has really earned its reputation. Particularly the reputation it has built for being an innovator.
"I stayed engaged with the school after I graduated. People like [Dean] Harry Bruce and Joe Janes came in, and created a crazy-cool dynamic place. When I look at the public librarianship field, that's the kind of energy we really need. We need people who are forward thinking, people who are interested in collaborating, people who are looking outside the industry, to figure out how we can keep pace, and accelerate the way we serve our patrons."
Thanks to that unexpected call, it's safe to say the library patrons in Bannon's new home city can also look forward to some crazy-cool thinking in the near future. Or, as the iSchool's Joe Janes puts it: "I can't wait to see what he's going to do in a place as special as Chicago."