LJ Talks to Bill Harmer
A librarian books a rock band to tour... libraries!
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 6/19/2007
The tuneful and loud Detroit indie rock trio The High Strung later this month launches its Second National Rock & Roll Library Tour, visiting at least 35 libraries from New York to California. Two years ago, Bill Harmer, then a teen librarian in Michigan, organized a statewide tour after booking the band at his library; now, head of adult services at the Chelsea District Library, MI, he’s the librarian organizing the national tour. LJ’s Norman Oder talked to Harmer.
LJ: You’re doing this for free—why?
BH: I’m doing it to help out the band and to promote my profession, and to develop my own niche. I’ve been a librarian for six years. I’ve got a strong background in rock and roll; I’m a former DJ, a wannabe musician. I’m hoping to, in some ways, change people’s images of what libraries can be, not just for just people who walk in the door, but people who work in libraries. Also, I want young people to see that the library can be a vibrant, relevant place to go. I’m 39. I’m living vicariously through The High Strung.
Can other bands do this?
I’m getting calls all the time from other musicians. To make this work, you have to have the right mix of personality for it. The High Strung--they write really quirky, intelligent, creative three-minute pop songs. They know what their audience is. They know it’s going to require them to interact. They know it’s a weird thing: You take the loudest thing known to man, rock’n’roll, and a library, and they’re willing to work within it.
How does it work?
We bring a concert-like atmosphere to the library, except there’s no alcohol and no smoke. The other difference is the band will play an hour-long set, and after that, they’ll do a song improv. We’re also recording them, and burning them a CD afterward. Being a librarian, having worked with authors and done a myriad of other programs, I know what tools librarians need to effectively market and promote. So we provide them with a press kit on a CD-ROM.
How many people attend?
It averages 100, but they had more than 500 at some shows. On weekends, the show’s in the afternoon. On weekday, it’s in the evening. We want adults to come out, we want a general audience. The other thing I strongly urged libraries to do this time was to find a high school garage band to open for The High Strung. If you have a high school band, they’re going to bring their friends and family.
Where do they play?
They’ve played between book stacks, in front of the reference desk, in auditoriums. Often, they play outside the library, in the grass. It’s literally all over the map. They played at a public pool, in Las Vegas. One of the great things about this for me has been that, afterwards, I follow up with a phone call, to talk to the librarian. Without fail, the band has exceeded their expectations. Same goes for kids, too. Teenagers don’t show a whole lot of emotion, at first. But a few songs into the set, you can really see the transformation in the audience.
We bring a concert-like atmosphere to the library, except there’s no alcohol and no smoke. The other difference is the band will play an hour-long set, and after that, they’ll do a song improv. We’re also recording them, and burning them a CD afterward. Being a librarian, having worked with authors and done a myriad of other programs, I know what tools librarians need to effectively market and promote. So we provide them with a press kit on a CD-ROM.
How many people attend?
It averages 100, but they had more than 500 at some shows. On weekends, the show’s in the afternoon. On weekday, it’s in the evening. We want adults to come out, we want a general audience. The other thing I strongly urged libraries to do this time was to find a high school garage band to open for The High Strung. If you have a high school band, they’re going to bring their friends and family.
Where do they perform?
They’ve played between book stacks, in front of the reference desk, in auditoriums. Often, they play outside the library, in the grass. It’s literally all over the map. They played at a public pool, in Las Vegas. One of the great things about this for me has been that, afterwards, I follow up with a phone call, to talk to the librarian. Without fail, the band has exceeded their expectations. Same goes for kids, too. Teenagers don’t show a whole lot of emotion, at first. But a few songs into the set, you can really see the transformation in the audience.
Has it ever gotten too noisy?
It’s only been an issue once, and it was at my former library, the last show of last year’s tour. Some patrons complained, and director said, you’re just not going to play on the main floor, in front of circulation desk. They moved us to the basement.
