By Sophia Lackens and Maximus Jennings
Opening the Cover
In the quiet hum of a neighborhood library, where kids flip through picture books and adults search for job applications, Bernie Farrell sees more than shelves and checkouts. She sees opportunity.
As the Education Literacy Coordinator at Hennepin County Library, Farrell knows literacy isn’t just a skill—it’s a survival tool. “Especially living in our time, it's pretty hard for almost anyone to get a job that doesn't require some kind of ability to read or engage with literacy,” she said. “It's really important for people to have a job that pays them enough that they can have a decent life.”
But Farrell also knows the promise of literacy isn’t evenly spread. Disparities in access to books, education, and support systems are deeply rooted, especially for non-dominant communities in Hennepin County. Folks who missed out on literacy early in life are often shut out of opportunities later.
So, when Farrell and her colleagues were offered a chance to partner with the Hennepin-University Partnership (HUP) through its Collaborative Research Assistantship, they saw an opening—a new chapter they could write together. Their goal: explore how public libraries can better serve as bridges to equitable educational opportunities for all ages.
The HUP Collaborative Research Assistantship (HCRA) matches graduate students to county projects to help advance policy on complex social challenges. The students put their learnings from the classroom into practice with their community. Over the course of the summer, students help design and carry out research with supervision and support from the county. And, they met regularly as a cohort to reflect on their work and learnings. The HCRA is a unique opportunity for students and county staff to work together on research.
According to HUP’s Senior Project Manager, Margaret Stumbo-Turvey, reciprocal collaboration is key. "Our HCRA students consistently bring a fresh perspective to county teams and projects. Plus, students always appreciate that the projects give them a chance to see how their academic work connects to real world problems,” they said. “Our best projects harness the students' cutting edge research skills and the county's practitioner expertise to yield community impacts."
Reading the Landscape
The Library Literacy Landscape Project focused on understanding the educational needs of Hennepin County residents and how public libraries could best support them. Through HCRA, third-year STEM Education PhD student Sophie Kasahara joined the team to research the future of the Hennepin County Library and Education Support Services Departments.
Kasahara was tasked with understanding what other large, urban libraries were doing to support K–12 students and adult learners, and how those lessons could translate to Hennepin County.
From the start, she could feel the impact of her work. “[Tasks] were a lot more applied, and hands on and connected. I could see the tangible connections right away as to how the results of the research were going to be used afterwards.”
Kasahara’s first job was to draft interview questions and identify staff members at similarly-positioned libraries to interview. Her advisor, Farrell, helped her hit the ground running. “[With the Library Literacy Landscape Project], it felt like there were a lot of resources to help you get your questions finalized [for interviews]. There were experts already on that in the county that could provide me with a list of questions, and then I could edit them with Bernie,” Kasahara said. “And so it just felt like things moved quicker,”
The fast pace continued all summer. Over the course of the assistantship, Kasahara conducted literature reviews, interviewed staff across five peer library systems, gave a final report on the findings, and offered thoughtful, evidence-based recommendations for advancing equitable educational outcomes for diverse learners of all ages.
“I think the biggest challenge for me was the timeline of the project, and just making sure I was on track for things. And that's where Bernie and Margaret were really helpful in that process,” Kasahara recounted. “Because they kind of helped each of us set timelines of when we needed certain things to be done like we needed data collection done by a certain point so that it wouldn't feel as overwhelming when we're writing our project.”
Kasahara and Farrell both credit the success of the project to their open communications, mutual support, and shared dedication to improving literacy. “There were never really any big challenges that I felt like we faced together because Bernie was really supportive and approachable the whole time,” said Kasahara. “I felt like if I had a question I could just reach out to them right away and figure it out.” Farrell echoed the sentiment, saying “I was really happy that Sophie was our [Research Assistant] and that she was willing and also very organized and had a really good process to reach out to the different libraries.”
From Page to Practice
What emerged from the research was a clear picture of what libraries could do—not just what they lacked.
Kasahara interviewed staff from five library systems—Buffalo & Erie County, Charlotte Mecklenburg, Multnomah County, Orange County, and Seattle Public Library—and compiled her findings into six key themes and recommendations aimed at making literacy support more equitable and responsive.
Kasahara’s recommendations included recentering family literacy by supporting children and their caregivers at the same time, linking library cards to school IDs to streamline student access, partnering with Twin Cities Schools, and building relationships with communities in need.
For Farrell, the report prompted new ways of thinking about literacy. “I've really thought more about kids learning to read or kids learning literacy skills and how parents support them,” said Farrell. “But the twist here was that parents and caregivers want support in their literacy development and support in navigating educational systems.” By emphasizing families, libraries can better serve everyone in the household at the same time.
Relatedly, Kasahara recommends that Hennepin County link their library cards to students' existing school IDs—ensuring that Twin Cities students have a straightforward process to access their County libraries. Plus, increasing touchpoints with K-12 schools in the area can help to enhance programming, provide teachers’ additional support, improve curriculum, and increase resources for struggling students.
But these solutions will only work if community members come to the library. Building strong relationships between the libraries and residents of Hennepin County will take thoughtful action. Kasahara emphasized the importance of multilingual programming—hosting bilingual storytimes, offering materials in multiple languages, and showcasing racial and cultural diversity in collections. These efforts, she found, could help bridge the gap between library services and the diverse communities they aim to serve.
The final key takeaway: peer learning matters. Kasahara recommended that Hennepin County Libraries strengthen relationships with other library systems to foster a culture of reflection, shared learning, and continuous improvement.
The Next Chapter
Kasahara’s final report didn’t gather dust. It sparked real action.
Farrell shared that the library is already moving forward with several of Kasahara’s ideas. “There's another team that I'm not part of, which is the [Library’s] adult education team and they are working on developing adult literacy focused work,” she said. “So they're getting some stuff started at the library that's really going to focus on adults.”
Farrell also added, “Now when we meet families who are part of our programs like Homework Help or Let's Read, and they are really expressing that they have some frustration and struggles. We will refer them to[Hennepin County’s] Education Support Services. So we have a good network now of connecting families to more services than what the library can provide.”
The ripple effect is growing. Hennepin County will continue to explore how to deepen partnerships with schools and community organizations, and plans to engage more community voices to ensure literacy programs reflect the lived experiences and needs of their residents.
As for Kasahara, the experience underscored the importance of doing research not just on a community—but with one. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work on this literacy project with Bernie. I hope to continue this type of community engagement research after I graduate, emphasizing reciprocal relationships with community members and collaborative research that leads to actionable, equitable change.”
And that, perhaps, is the real legacy of the Library Literacy Landscape Project: not just better programs, but stronger relationships—built page by page, person by person.