Outreach and Programming Reflection

I did my service learning at the Himmel Park Branch of the Pima County Public Library system.
When I was researching the history of Himmel Park Branch, I came across this quote:

Mrs. Edmondson, who is 73, came to Tucson as a young bride and recalls how Tucson was then a small
village..."It was so quiet you could hear the silence," she said. Coyotes, rattlesnakes and Indians caused
her great uneasiness..."They used to run in packs and lots of times when I walked four miles into town
pushing the babies in a carriage and pulling a small wagon, in which I carried my purchases, I would
have to chase them away with sticks. Great numbers of rattlesnakes were on the land and several times I
had an Indian who worked on an adjoining homestead come over and kill them for me when they got
too numerous."1

Mrs. Alvina Himmel Edmondson sold the property to the city of Tucson in 1935. The above
excerpt is from the Tucson Citizen newspaper in 1942. It makes me laugh and makes me sad at
the same time.

Indians are not a focus at Himmel Park Branch. Speaking with one of the staff, I learned that
there is a lack of outreach or programs specifically focused on the American Indian population.
The staff person said that the only program she could think of was the showing of “Reel Indian,”
a movie about 100 years of how Hollywood has portrayed American Indians. She mentioned
that a Diné person was the facilitator for the movie to answer questions and for discussion.
Other than that the staff member was embarrassed that she could not think of any other
outreach or programs specifically for American Indians at the Himmel Park Branch. This is a
situation that needs to be rectified.

Looking to Oscar’s library on the Pasqua Yacqui reservation, he wrote in discussion that the
most successful outreach and programming has been done with PCPL. This again makes me
happy and sad. Oscar has many resources to reach out to his community: a radio show,
community events, and daily personal contact with his community and tribal government. He
does all he can to promote library usage for his American Indian community. I admire his
efforts.

I laugh because Mrs. Edmondson’s recollection is of Indians is to compare them with coyotes
and rattlesnakes, yet she needs an Indian to get rid of the rattlesnakes. That is contradictory.
The sadness is that Himmel Park Branch has forgotten its history…this was Indian land and they
should not be further marginalizing an already marginalized population. Looking to Oscar and
how he, as a member of his community, works so hard to involve his community with the
library, I am happy. The sadness is that PCPL works with him there on the reservation, but has
not worked in the city to build a bridge to the urban Indian community. In my service learning I
only identified one person as American Indian. I wonder where are we? The only place I see
American Indians is outside the Main Branch…homeless and dirty. Is that all others see of us?

1
http://www.library.pima.gov/locations/himmel/about.php