Beyond Books

Kristen Sorth sees libraries as having power beyond lending books. She envisions them as centerpieces of community, called to give generously when needs or ideas are expressed. 

“The library has historically been a place of rules, and often those came with ‘no.’ So we’ve really been trying to reduce barriers to access,” says Sorth, CEO and director of St. Louis County Library (SLCL) since 2013. “That means saying yes on the patron side of things and also saying yes to the community.” 

Walk into SLCL’s Clark Family Branch in Ladue and you’ll find a prime example: the library’s new weeklong summer camps for youth ages 12 to 17, where participants experiment with laser cutters, explore historical records and conduct DNA analyses, and take lessons in market research and financial literacy, among other activities.

Library staff proposed the idea for the unique camps in February 2025. In a matter of months, they organized a curriculum and a host of logistics, including a lottery application system and transportation support to meet community demand across the library’s vast geographic footprint — roughly 500 square miles. The generosity of Clayco CEO Bob Clark and his family funded it from their $6 million gift toward renovations and educational programming at the branch. 

“This is the culture of yes at work,” Sorth explains. “Our culture of contribution spreads throughout the organization. Employees suggest and implement ideas all the time.” 

That this “yes” philosophy empowers and motivates employees is evident in the library’s recent recognition as a “Top Place to Work” by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a designation it has now received for 11 consecutive years. 

And it’s the reason that Sorth and her team of more than 600 employees were recently honored with the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, a prestigious national award that recognizes powerful synergies between libraries, local governments, and community organizations. Sorth plans to direct the $250,000 prize toward compensation for her staff. 

Lending A Hand

Sorth was first compelled to embark on this new relationship with the St. Louis community after reading “For the Sake of All,” a 2014 report about systemic health and well-being inequities in the region, released shortly before the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson. The 2020 global health crisis greatly accelerated the need for SLCL to step up and serve, and five years later, it has continued to embrace this role. Under Sorth’s watch, SLCL now provides diapers and free meals among many other much-needed community services. 

“It’s good to be a place where people know to call and say, ‘How can we get this conversation started?’” she says.

By the end of 2025, for example, SLCL plans to add its seventh social worker to its current slate of six branches that provide such services on-site. Launched as the Community Resource Initiative in May 2023, these professionals are hired as contractors through Epworth Children & Family Services and provide mental-health support and crisis intervention to patrons in need. They also train library staff in trauma-informed practices and de-escalation techniques.

Sorth describes the initiative as a game-changer. “In this world, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there are places people need, and the public library is one of them,” she says. And SLCL, which has a reciprocal borrowing agreement with all library systems in the region, seeks to serve all St. Louisans. “We want everyone to be able to access the library, and we don’t really care where they live,” she says. 

Another nontraditional offering, launched in October 2022, is SkillMill. It provides free online courses in a variety of trades, including electric, HVAC, solar, and more. Geared toward students and adults seeking cost-effective ways to expand their skills or even launch their own businesses, the program is available to anyone with a library card.

SLCL has also developed robust partnerships with local legal advocacy organizations. Collaborating with The Bail Project, the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and other entities since 2020, the library hosts a Tap In Center (TIC) at the Florissant Valley Branch. The center connects justice-involved individuals with free legal assistance and support services without fear of arrest, primarily resolving bench warrants issued due to missed court dates.

The TIC program has served more than 700 participants in 2025 alone, witnessing an uptick in usage since the devastating May 16 tornado. “I think we’re back in a position where people need to stay connected with the courts, and they can’t for various reasons,” Sorth says.

Designed to Welcome

Over the past decade, as the library system has established itself as a vital presence and willing partner for the St. Louis community, it has also undertaken a literal refresh, revamping each of its 20 branch spaces as part of the Your Library Renewed campaign. “We want our buildings to reflect who we are as a system, and that’s dynamic and fun and transparent and comfortable,” Sorth says.

Changes include integrating indoor and outdoor spaces in inviting ways; adding windows and amenities like community gardens; providing more flexible, comfortable seating; and better delineating and defining spaces for different age groups. All these design elements are intended to make the libraries more welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to all. 

Clark Family Branch could be considered the crown jewel of these renovation efforts. The last library building completed, which opened to the public in July 2024, integrates all the lessons learned, according to Sorth. Flanked by a plethora of new trees, shrubs, and native grasses, it houses two colorful, creative, and highly interactive dedicated spaces for children and teens. It has a Small Business Center with resources for aspiring entrepreneurs. And it contains the new Emerson History and Genealogy Department, replete with a Memory Lab for recording family histories and a large local history collection, made public for the first time.

Serving a City of Readers

Perhaps most significant, the Clark Family Branch is home to the new Post Event Space & Plaza, where the library’s nationally renowned author series is now held. Funded by the SLCL Foundation and overseen by Carrie Robb, it’s the largest series in the country and attracts top literary talent from nonfiction history and politics, mainstream fiction, children’s and young adult literature, and even a special series about medicine and health care. 

“I always say the author series is my first kid,” says Robb, who has two children. “I’ve been doing it for 18 years now — it’s my life’s work.”

The ultimate reward, she says, is observing meaningful connections between readers and authors during these live interactions, whether that’s children and parents bonding over their love of reading with Peter Brown, author of the hugely popular “Wild Robot” series, or history buffs interacting with former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, author of the memoir “Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics.” In addition to these and other ticketed events, the series features many free author visits open to all members of the public, attracting anywhere from 75 to 800 people at a time. In 2024, the library hosted a total of 144 authors.

“St. Louis is a huge reading town. We’re considered one of the biggest markets for books in the country,” says Robb, who has built longstanding, trusted relationships across the publishing industry as well as a reputation for excellence among the authors themselves. “In addition to being a great city for readers, it’s also got a big literary history. It’s wonderful to work in that scene.”

Looking ahead, having completed a capital campaign and solidified the library’s community-oriented identity, Sorth says SLCL is eager to get back to the basics. It is launching a new early childhood reading initiative called Gateway to Reading, which offers workshops as well as physical literacy kits to give parents and caregivers clear and direct instructions on how to teach reading using a phonics-based approach. This renewed literacy push is partly in response to declining grade-level proficiencies over the past five years, Sorth says — again, illustrating the library’s commitment to listening and responding to timely needs.

Through the support of several new corporate sponsorships, SLCL has also renovated its fleet of bookmobiles, a long-standing service and fond memory for many St. Louisans that Sorth and her team are proud to sustain for future generations. What’s more, the library has expanded its ePopUp Library, whereby users can access thousands of free digital books and audiobooks — no library card needed — simply by scanning a QR code at select MetroLink stations, county government offices, Schnucks stores, and local children’s hospitals. 

Reflecting on all their achievements to date, Sorth echoes Robb’s enthusiasm for St. Louis, not only as a reading town but as a place where compassion and care are palpable. And, she notes, the library remains an open door. 

“There are so many people who are interested in moving St. Louis forward,” she says. “We try to show up at all the tables. Whether we’re talking about how to improve the region or how to support the community, St. Louis County Library is here.”