Welcome home

Lindsy Gardner, the new director of the Emmet O’Neal Library, has always had a love for books.

“At Christmas, my mother insisted on looking at old pictures, and I found this picture of me when I was 3,” she said. “I had fallen asleep with a book on top of my face.

Her love soon grew into a passion, and one that followed her to the University of Alabama where she earned a bachelor’s in English and to the University of Maryland where she graduated with a master’s in library science. Gardner then started her career as a children’s librarian in 1998 at the Birmingham Public Library, not far from her hometown of Linden.

“It was the best possible introduction to public library work. Children’s librarians can do everything with nothing,” she said. “You have to learn how to do all of the typical library work … but on top of that, you also have this very high-energy performance element.”

A few years later, she became the director of the Demopolis Public Library. In 2007, Gardner accepted a position as the director of the Lancaster Community Library in Virginia, where she headed a capital campaign to renovate the facilities and tripled the size of the library. Now, 10 years later, she has returned to Alabama as the director of the Emmet O’Neal Library.

“It was such an amazing job opportunity, and from my days working in Birmingham, I was aware of the excellent reputation of Emmet O’Neal,” she said. “It was an honor to be chosen, and even better that I was able to come home.”

Although Gardner spends much of her time surrounded by books, be it in print or audio, she has found time to explore more of the area.

“Mountain Brook has some gorgeous nature trails,” she said, adding that she likes to take her rescue dog, Butch, on walks with her. Like many Alabama natives, she is also a big Alabama fan, and is looking forward to attending some games as well as spending time with her family and friends who are still in the area.

Gardner said even though she isn’t athletic, she has still found an adventurous activity: skydiving.

“I’m not athletic at all, but I like to do crazy things,” she said. The first place she jumped was in Gulf Shores, where she landed on the beach. “I’ve jumped four times tandem, and the last one was to celebrate the close of the capital campaign in Virginia.” 

While she said she is still “getting a feel” for the library and it’s programs and services, Gardner said she plans to use the experience she gained from previous positions to create an overall strategy for the library and expand upon with what she calls “the community hearth.”

“It [the library] is a gathering place where everyone feels safe and welcome, and where all points of view are valued,” she said. “They [the patrons] come to just be. So in that sense, it’s much more than just a building with books.”

Gardner said she is really looking forward to getting to know the entirety of the Mountain Brook community and spending time with the staff and patrons of Emmet O’Neal.

“I’m just really honored to be here,” she said. “I told the staff at our first meeting that I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world.”