By Alexis Taylor
AFRO Managing Editor
The Enoch Pratt Free Library (EPFL) announced a new CEO and president on Sept. 30.
Hailing from Mount Airy, North Carolina, Chad Helton has been selected to lead the organization, which was founded in 1882 by philanthropist Enoch Pratt.
Helton spoke with the AFRO on day one of his time in the new role.
“I’m very excited, said Helton. “I know all of the amazing work that was done before my arrival and I have big shoes to fill.”
Helton said he’s committed to continuing the work being done by EPFL and also looking to further advance the library and services offered. His first order of business is to make himself available to staff and residents to promote understanding of who he is and the work he plans to do.
“I’m creating partnerships with staff, creating partnerships with elected officials and really creating a strong foundation with people that live in the city,” Helton told the AFRO. “I’m holding office hours and ‘Meet the CEO’ events at each individual branch library once a month, so that I can connect with residents of the city to hear from them directly and see what it is that they want from us. That’s one of the first things on my agenda–looking at some of our infrastructure needs and having conversations about facilities improvements and getting funding for facilities.”
Though Helton is now president and CEO of a major library system, he is clear in how others have played a role in his success, including his mother and father, James and Lillie Helton.
“My parents grew up in segregation,” he said. “The opportunities not afforded to them were afforded to me and my brother. I didn’t really understand that until I got older.”
Not one to shy away from his past, Helton told the AFRO how, many years ago, his life looked completely different.
“I dropped out of college for 10 years, and during that time period a lot of things happened,” he said. “My father passed away and I started having conversations with my mom. I started to have conversations with my grandmother, Jettie Mae Helton, who grew up in Jim Crow and lived to be 102 years old. Her grandmother, she remembered, was born into slavery.”
Helton said the poignant conversations put a spotlight on the many opportunities he was “squandering.”
“People really died for the right for me to be able to do anything in this world that I wanted to try and do, and I wasn’t taking advantage of that,” he said. That’s when a friend, Matt Wilburn, stepped in and changed his life.
“Matt knew that I was chronically underemployed and couch surfing,” said Helton. “When you are chronically underemployed, you don’t have full time jobs. You’re working part-time job after part-time job, and they’re somewhat dead end jobs. Matt saw that I was really, really trying hard. For one of the first times in my life–I was really trying hard. He felt if he got me a job at the library delivering books with this golf cart, it would somehow influence me to go back to college, because I’d be back on campus. And he was right.”
“I would not be where I’m at right now, had it not been for him taking that opportunity and really taking a chance on his friend. I’m forever grateful for that,” Helton said. “Let’s be honest, there’s so many people out in this world that work very, very hard, and the opportunities just don’t open up. Everything that I am is related to the opportunities and the faith that people had in me, and I wouldn’t be anything without that.”
Helton is a long way from delivering library books to satellite libraries on the campus of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He returned to school himself, found a new career path and hasn’t looked back since.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he went on to get a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University.
“I really do feel that education is the great equalizer and the only way to make it in this world is to educate yourself,” said Helton, who admits he didn’t know there were degrees for careers related to the library system until he was in his late 20s.
Helton said it’s important for Black students to see Black faces in leadership within the library systems of America.
“There aren’t a lot of Black men that do this work. At one point, there were less than 20 Black, male directors in public libraries in the United States,” he said. “When you think of all of the libraries that existed in this country, and the fact that there were less than 20, it’s very important to see Black men and Black faces doing this work and being in these roles. It’s really hard to make change when people don’t know that this is something that they can do. Being out there and having people see my face lets kids know that this is something that they themselves can do.”
“I think it’s very important to be in this role, and be in a position to really start to make some systemic changes related to people getting involved in this particular field,” he added.
Today, Helton leads a system that, in a different decade, would have scoffed at the notion of a Black man taking the helm. In the Sept. 13, 1930 edition of the AFRO, the paper detailed how EPFL refused to hire Black employees– telling Black residents it was “needless” for them to apply for training to become employed by the organization. In the May 19, 1934 edition of the paper, the AFRO recorded how EPFL stood by their decision to segregate their bathrooms, upon receiving complaints from White patrons who thought African-American visitors should use a different restroom.
Decades later, Helton joins a short list of EPFL directors. Since its founding more than a century ago, there have only been 13 EPFL presidents, including Helton. According to information released by the library, a total of three African Americans have led the organization. Anna Curry took the helm in 1981. After Curry, Dr. Carla Hayden, another African-American woman, took on the role in 1993. Helton now joins as the third Black director for EPFL, which boasts 21 branches throughout Charm City, in addition to a Central Branch, located at 400 Cathedral St.
“Chad Helton is the right leader for the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s next chapter,” said Christine Espenshade, chair of the Pratt Library’s Board of Directors, in a statement. “His deep industry experience and creative approach to addressing infrastructure needs will be invaluable as we work toward a bold future for the Pratt Library. We are confident that his leadership, coupled with a commitment to community, will ensure that the Pratt Library continues to thrive as a cornerstone of Baltimore. Chad’s expertise will help us build on the momentum we’ve already gained, including record-high library cardholders and circulation, as well as securing funding for ongoing infrastructure improvements.”
Prior to taking the EPFL position, Helton served as a library consultant and as a director in more than one library system. In Minnesota, he directed the 41 branches of the Hennepin County Library as they took on the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he led Branch Library Services at the Los Angeles Public Library, which included oversight of 70 branches. In California, Helton served Contra Costa County Library as a deputy county librarian, and in Palo Alto he was the library services manager.
“The Board of Directors is eager to support Chad as he leads the organization into a future defined by innovation and service,” Espenshade added. “Under his leadership, the Pratt Library will continue to be a welcoming and essential resource, empowering Baltimore’s residents through free access to critical resources and opportunities. On behalf of the entire Board, I also want to extend our deepest gratitude to Darcell Graham for her exceptional leadership as Interim CEO during this transitional period.”
Helton is looking forward to expanding EPFL’s capacity to deliver programming needed in the communities of Baltimore while also improving access to digital literacy programs and wellness resources. When asked about the role libraries play in addressing the needs of society, Helton said they are crucial.
“The library is a government entity that people willingly want to come to, and people are generally excited to come to. We have a responsibility to assist people with whatever their needs may be,” said Helton. “I think the work that we’re doing is foundational– being that we are strategically placed throughout the city to address needs for each individual community that we serve.”
