CINCINNATI — Jonathan Harris digs around in his pocket. He’s looking for a coin that memorializes how long he’s been sober.
“I earned this — every day,” Harris says while holding up his key chain. “And it’s still not easy, but it’s not as hard as it was before.”
He's sitting at a table with colored pencils and magazines. This is where he says his recovery started — the library.
“Public libraries are a lifeline for many,” said Tiffani Carter, manager of the Avondale branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. “When people don’t know where to go, they come to the library.”
Librarians here often deal in crisis. They once had a shooting victim stumble inside looking for help. More often, they help with homework. They give out snacks to students after school. They offer bus passes.
They’ve even put on training sessions on how to treat gunshot wounds.
“Avondale is like a box of chocolates,” one man near the front desk said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”
Except here in the library, you do, Carter explains.
Because this is a building that’s about more than books. Sometimes, it’s a school. Other times, it’s a restaurant. It’s always a safe space.
Carter was born in Avondale, so she understands the challenges residents face. She often spends her days thinking about it.
“I think a lot,” she said. “All day. In my sleep. At all times.”
When Keymonte Elms is asked what it’s like to be a teenager, he doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s hard,” he said.
The 16-year-old has had trouble with fighting. Now, he brings a camera into the library to take pictures. On New Year's Eve, he captures joy — in kids and adults.
And with a key chain in his pocket, Harris walked into Carter's office at 11 a.m. to hand her a jar of lotion.
“What’s this?” Carter asked with a laugh. “I need lotion?”
“I never said that,” Harris said.
The 63-year-old just wants to thank her because, for him, his recovery started at a library computer — more than two years and counting. Staff taught him how to use a laptop, and they connected him to resources.
Now, he’s one class away from his GED certificate.
“This is where I learned what community is,” Carter said. “It all leads back to here.”
And now, she knows some of the regulars more than she knows her own family. She laughs, acknowledging this is her identity. Wherever she goes in Avondale, she often hears, “Miss Tiffani."
“I know what it’s like to be a library kid, so I just try to make it a memorable experience for them. A safe place,” Carter says before pausing. “Home.”
