Street Fighter

Aiden Street has all the instincts of a great librarian. “I want to know what keeps people up at night—what are they worried about and what can the library do to help them achieve their goals?” As regional coordinator for the Pioneer Library System (PLS), Norman, OK, and Moore Branch manager, she is perfectly situated to help alleviate some of those worries. In her 15 years with the system, Street has “honed her focus on community engagement, [specializing] in creating new programs and services delivered to the right audience at the right time,” says Lisa Wells, a 2008 Mover and recently named PLS executive director.

If money worries are part of the problem, Street has her patrons covered: she initiated three consecutive Smartinvesting@yourlibrary grants, sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and the FINRA Foundation, totaling more than $176,000, which funded seminars on financial literacy, as well as the overhaul of the library’s finance collections. PLS, partnering with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Oklahoma (CCCS) and employers, delivered several six-week Fiscally Fit Bootcamps. All of Street’s efforts were so successful that the State of Oklahoma was asked to apply for a grant to expand PLS’s education model statewide. Street worked with the Oklahoma Friends of Libraries on the proposal, which it won in 2016 at more than $137,000.

Street’s participation in marching bands and work with the Southmoore High School marching band birthed the concept of the One Band, One Card program for the 250 band members, band staff, and parents. As practice and competition eat up students’ time, the campaign promotes online instruction and e-resources to help students maintain academic standards.

On a personal note, Street was one of the many in her community who lost homes and possessions during the tornadoes that hit Moore in 2013. She worked with the Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies to help residents file claims, handle insurance payments, and deal with the stress of life turned upside down, even as she dealt with her own losses. The “Resilience in the Heartland: Financial Recovery After the Storm” program gained national recognition. Her efforts with schools garnered donations of $70,000 for school libraries destroyed in the event.

Street, says nominator Wells, “has the ability to take obstacles and…translate them into opportunities for growth, learning, and, ultimately, healing.”