Summary: Alvin Vavro has lived in Butler for 73 years and is a former librarian. He discusses the evolution of libraries, noting their shift from being primarily book-based to technologically oriented, with some libraries downsizing their physical collections. Al highlights the impact of the internet and artificial intelligence on library usage. He recalls his early library experiences, emphasizing the enjoyment of reading children’s books. Anita Bowser: I am Anita Bowser. I am the interviewer. It is November 20, 2024, and can you tell me your name? Al Vavro: Yes, my name is Alvin Vavro. Anita Bowser: And do you go by Al? Al Vavro: Yes, I do go by Al. The old chipmunk thing kind of has gone by the wayside. Anita Bowser: So Al, how long have you lived in this community? Al Vavro: I’ve lived here my entire life - 73 years. So yeah, I was born and raised in Butler, lived in Lyndora for many years, and now I’m living in Butler Township. Anita Bowser: So you use the library here? Al Vavro: Yes. Anita Bowser: And what are some of your earliest memories of the library Al Vavro: Back then - and I’m a librarian as well - but back then, it was coming here to get books to read and some informational articles and those kinds of ideas. Since then, the library has evolved tremendously. And being an educator and a former librarian, I’m very well aware of the changes that have occurred in library resources and how the library is used in these days - a whole lot differently than when I was a kid coming here to get books to read and enjoy. Anita Bowser: So what are some of the differences that you’ve seen? Al Vavro: Well, it has become very technologically oriented. Some of our libraries I know - being on the school board - I know our high school library, and at Buffalo Elementary, their elementary library has been downsized as far as books. They’ve weeded the collections and probably have taken out books that maybe are not circulating as much. Let’s face it, kids and adults these days can get anything they want through the Internet, whether it be books or you know. My mother, God rest her soul, and my father, God rest his soul, bought World Books for me when I was a kid. Or, if I would come to the library and I would use encyclopedias. Now that is totally obsolete. Nobody’s buying World Book Encyclopedias anymore. I don’t know what the reference collection here is currently and how much that reference section gets used. The other thing that makes it somewhat obsolete is artificial intelligence. That’s a little scary. I, again I work in a school, and artificial intelligence will do just about anything. They will write reports, write themes, write questions. So, the library has evolved tremendously, from being a location where you went to read books, do research and things along those lines, to now where it’s become a technological center. Anita Bowser: Do you remember about how old you were when you first ventured into a library? Al Vavro: Well, I was probably young, 6 or 7. As I said, things were much different. I went to Lyndora School, which no longer exists, and the elementary libraries were somewhat small as far as resources. This library, I think, if I remember correctly, had more resources as far as children’s books. And even today, I mean, kids do still read books. Children’s books are very popular. Dr. Seuss, of course, and others. Other kinds of books are also very popular with kids. So I think, trying to recollect back so many years, I think my use of the library was to get children’s books that I could read and enjoy. I really didn’t think about it as improving my reading skills. I was just reading to enjoy and so that’s kind of what I remember about coming to the library in my early years. Anita Bowser: And who would bring you? Al Vavro: My parents. We lived in Lynora. My mother would come shopping every Saturday when the downtown was vibrant with many, many stores prior to the shopping malls that exist today, and the online Amazon and all that stuff. But anyhow, we would come. My mother would come shopping. I would come with her. I would come maybe in the evenings as well, during the week if I needed something, or if I wanted to get a book or do some research. Things along those lines. Anita Bowser: Do you remember some of your favorites? Al Vavro: Oh my. Boy, you’re asking a lot. Anita Bowser:Even genres? Al Vavro: Well, I mean fairy tales, I think, were always very popular. You know, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk and again, Dr. Seuss. Those are the ones that come to mind, at least, to my recollection. Fairy tales were always, I think, very popular. Because they were imaginary. You had animals doing things that only people could do. The way they were able to use imagination and do things that, you know, were not able to be done by people - you know kids need that imagination. And I think I enjoyed those kind of imaginary books. Anita Bowser: Is there anything else you’d like to say? Al Vavro: You know, I am a librarian. My first job was a librarian out east. I think kids don’t always realize the value of a library today. They’ve become so ingrained in iPads and iPhones and those kinds of things. They don’t realize that there are marvelous resources here. And, it’s difficult to get kids to always make that connection. So, as a teacher – I still teach – getting kids to realize where they can get information other than, you know, the iPhones and the iPads. We do have a small school library at Buffalo Elementary which kids use. Unfortunately, I think I know what they do. They want to take the books -- they get the books -- whether they read them or not, or just let them sit in their desk till the next week to return them. I’m afraid, in some cases, that’s what happens. So I hope that kids and adults will recognize the value and the resources that are available here to them and make use of them. Because I think it’s a good place; it’s a community. It’s part of our community. And, I think it’s an excellent resource for people who may not be able to get other resources, whether it’s computers, whether it’s research resources. I think it’s a wonderful place to find information. Anita Bowser:Thank you. Al Vavro: You’re welcome.