Now the 490, with Gretchen de Becker, Matt Killam, and Kevin Mullin all.

Welcome into the 419 powered by and presented by we Will Wealth Management.

I'm Kevin mullin.

Gretchen Jagger.

Matt killing.

You tried to get us canceled already.

Already just right out of the gate.

He refuses to look at the camera today.

Rightfully so.

Yeah Are you beefing with the camera?

Well, it's beefing.

With me for obvious reasons, but we've had some shifting in the studio her because there was a large party.

I guess our invite was.

Lost in the band.

Yeah, this television is very close to me.

Yeah.

We have a screen that show what we what you all are seeing.

We're sorry.

Yeah.

Now, this is, like, so incredibly close to us.

It's like.

It feels like.

It's like almost like a live puppet show.

Or so now you feel the way that all of our viewers feel.

And I feel bad.

Yeah.

Feel bad?

Nope.

I can't stop today.

Yeah.

I can't stop.

We've got an exciting show today.

We do.

Every Tuesday.

Our friends at the Community Foundation inviting great people, doin great things across the region, there's no question.

Our first guest today fits that bill.

We've got Jason Kuchma from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.

It's shocking.

He hasn't been on before, but he has since.

So that's probably the reason why.

He constructed sentence tension as usual.

Yeah, we've had.

Clearly spent a lot of time at the library.

We've had staff in, but now we have.

Now we have Jason.

Yep.

I couldn't come to better time.

Yep.

So and then guys, I don't know if you've looked at the at the full notes for the show, but we've got a real talent coming on to show us how it's done.

Donny Miller is going to be on the show.

Wheat and Toledo Legend, so.

I'm not ready for that.

No, we're not or worthy, really.

We've gone to multiple practice sessions.

Shane are talentless.

I wouldn't say leader because that would be a lie.

He has notes on here telling us how to behave, how to act.

And I'll tell you what, these bullets are as helpful as Shane usually is.

The question is whether thes are coming from Donnie or not.

No, no, no, there's no way she's too kind to do that.

Oh, these are notes for Shane to say.

Don't embarrass us.

Got it.

If I had scissors right now I would just this document off and throw it on the hood.

Of this.

I have him in my ear saying that that is spot on, that he doesn't want us to embarrass.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right.

In front.

In front of the pride and joy of Donnie Miller.

Obviously, h doesn't care what we do to Jason because there's nothing there's no notes on our document.

That is probably.

Also Mr.

Cushman.

But you know what?

But Jason is a good friend, and we're going to have some fun with him.

I think he's got certainl an exciting career background, but as a person is also just incredibly kind, and I've enjoyed getting to know him.

His leadership in the community has been wonderful.

What the library is doing, I just I'm so excited for it.

I want to hear more of his story, what got him into this, and then some of the vision for where it's going because it's, you know, we're in a we're in a world where literally everything changes every day.

And so, you know ho an institution like the library continues standing, continue serving the community.

What that looks like needs to and has been changing as the community needs that as well.

So it'll be an exciting conversation.

They've got some bold things that they're doing that they should make sure everyone knows about.

So be an update.

I don't know how we were able to manage that without Shane's notes, but we did it.

It'll be great.

Let's take a break.

When we come back, we will be joined by Jason Kuchma from Toledo, Lucas County Public Library.

We'll be right back on the 419, powered by a T. Support for the 419.

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Thank you.

Welcome back to the 419.

Our friends at the Communit Foundation are introducing us.

That might be a strong term today is is somebody we know and our friends with and genuinely enjoy, bu bring in some great individuals who make a difference in our community.

And there's no question to the Lucas County Public Library's doing that.

We're joined no by the director, Jason Cushman.

Jason, thank you so much for being here.

Yeah, thanks.

For having me.

How is it that we've been doing this show for three years, period?

That's a question.

Yeah.

These are plugged in.

No.

Not.

That is.

Actually true.

We just didn't have any place else to go.

But I feel a little bit like.

And bear with me on this terrible analogy, but I feel a little bit like Jason is like the pretty girl in schoo that doesn't get asked to prom.

Is that like, you were such an obvious guest for all of us that I think it just we we just passed.

I feel attacked.

Yeah, yeah.

Good question.

Yeah.

Yeah, I actuall I hadn't given it much thought.

Okay.

Well, good.

No, no, but as an early listener, I was waiting for the call.

Yeah, I finally got it, so.

Thank you.

We're so excited you're here talking about how long we were talking abou before the break, but how long you've been at the library?

Yeah, I started in February 2015 so it's been over 11 years now.

That's amazing how time fast that time has gone.

Can you just give us this, like, an overview on the data of the library?

Number of employees, number of locations, number of people served, that kind of stuff.

Yeah, it's fascinating cause a lot of people have their favorite branch.

And so that is the library to them.

But we have 19 locations, 40 employees, two bargaining units.

We see about a little over 2 million people a year to about 5000 programs a year.

Free programs for the community.

So yeah, it's.

Those numbers are staggering.

When you started with th library, you were in what role?

Sure.

I came back here.

I'm an Ohio native.

I grew up in northeast Ohio.

I did undergraduate and graduate school at Bgsu and then came back in 2015 as the deputy director.

Clyde Schools had recruited me here.

My wife and I had infant twins and an 800 square foot apartment in Brooklyn.

And we met here in Toledo, met the old West End, left, came and was like, do you think it might be time for us to move back?

And here's an opportunity for us to do just that?

Yeah, yeah.

And then obviously, if folks aren't familiar, I mean, you're sort of moved to the top was a bi of a bittersweet moment, right?

Because it was a challenging time for the library, a loss of a long time beloved leader.

Yeah.

Tragically, Clyde had announced his retiremen in at the end of January 2019, and he was going to retire that summer.

And so just a few weeks later, he had passed away on the job walking to his car on a Friday.

So I loved.

A person in the community, not just.

Someone who had run tha institution for over 35 years.

So taking the reins after something like that, it was.

Yeah, it was a lot.

What's something you learned from him and his leadership after you got here?

Boy, that's you know, he was I think he was a quiet, steady leader.

He certainly showed me the ropes.

I was hired in as somebody who had never worked in a public library before.

So I have a master's, a library of information science.

But I was working in a nonprofit organization that helped provide support services for different libraries in New York City.

But they took a flier on m as somebody who had never worked in a public library to be the assistant director of the library, and I spent the whole first year basically going on an apology tour and around the system like, look.

I don't know how I got here, but I'm here to lear as much as I can from everybody.

And people have been tremendously gracious.

And we work through a strategic planning process together.

Yeah.

And I know, know, we've talked to Matt about this a little bit as well.

But like to be, you know, a public face and a leader of an anchor institution in the community that is so beloved.

I mean, what is there.

Pride.

Pressure.

All of the above.

Gratitude.

I mean, I feel it's such a privilege.

I mean, to be able to head up this institution that's over 185 years old.

And, you know, I feel it's a lot of pressure as well, right?

I need, you know, we're going through a lot of difficult times right now.

It's a difficult time runnin public institutions as a whole.

And so doing my best to do do well by our community and by our staff who serve people day in and day out.

Well, you're certainly doing that.

Can you?

This is putting you a little bit on the spot.

Jason, what have you learned from my leadership?

No, just.

We're the same thing to work every day.

You know, we only we don't have enough tim on the show to get a good vest.

Yeah, yeah, get any vest.

But there there is, there's a it's challenging to follow a legend.

Right.

And then make it your own.

The transition, of course, wasn't ideal.

And I don't mean to say that in a glib fashion.

It was a loss and a tragedy.

But I know you personally.

You're one of my beloved friends.

In full candor.

So you know.

But you're a human being.

Right.

So, I mean, that has to b a little bit of not necessarily imposter syndrome, but how long are you respectful of a legend and then make the place your own?

How do you balance those?

How did you or how do you continue to balance those two things?

It was interesting because in all honestly we were thrown into the pandemic pretty quickly as well.

So I was I was named director in August of 2019, basically just some restructuring of our leadership team and had everybody assembled by February of 2020.

And then we were thrown into the pandemic together, and none of us had worked together in that capacity before.

None of us had worked together before in this role.

So, yeah, it's been a lot of time trying to think about how do we influence change, but at the same time acknowledge the history and the tradition of where we came from.

I think that's one of the beautiful things about Public Library is that like it is something that is rooted in this decades long, centuries long tradition, but it's, you know, we are nimble enough to be able to to adjust and adapt to the needs of communities.

That's one of the things.

Obviously, the library is a a beacon for literacy, right?

But it is actually and you've heard me say this before, the largest service provider in our region for many, many things.

So you know that having a place that people can rely on sometimes for just warmth, for access and reliability, not to be overly hyperbolic here, but the world is, you know, I've been told, spinning on an axis, I don't know, it's flat, so I don't know how that's possible.

Your words JSON, but you know, there is something about or a comfort in knowing it's going to be there.

Yeah, right.

And it's my job to make sure that the door is open.

That's right.

Right.

And that.

So it isn't necessarily if you were ego driven.

Like, I got to make sure I put my stamp on this put my flag in the front yard, jam my initiativ so people know this is now mine.

And this is the kind of leader I am.

So the duality of that and how you've handled it, I don't think is something that's celebrated because it's not something that would be traditionally celebrated, but it isn't easy.

So I is off to you.

You're in the first time leader, but all those things thrown into a blender on top of Covid, when every leader in our regio and everyone in their own homes were fearful of their lives and to know what was next.

And then when we come out of it, then it' right back to business, right?

And you're supposed to be.

And you never get a chance to sort of retool.

In the middle of all that.

We won the National Medal Award for library Services, which is the highest honor you can get from the federal government.

You know, the Institut for Music and Library Services.

So we got to go to the white House and meet Doctor Jill Biden and received that award on behalf of our staff.

And so thinking about it would have been would have been happy just maintaining.

Right.

But we actually succeeded Excel.

And I think our staff did a really incredible job coming through all of that tragedy, you know, the crise and even a cybersecurity attack that happened somewhere in there as well.

Well, I apologize for that.

So there's no chance tha Gretchen can pull off a cyber.

It was about not being a know how a printer works.

Yeah.

So tell me.

About a 3D printer.

What made you.

The most printers are 3D.

Yeah.

Shut up.

I wouldn't print a substitute for you.

Jason what made you a good applicant?

And then winner for that award.

And give some people some context as to what it is most people may not know.

And I'm assumin they don't give it out anymore.

It is not going out for the past couple of years.

I think that is true.

If you were the last ones.

That's leadership.

It's a recognition of how you're serving your community.

I mean, the library is amazing because obviously we provide access to literacy and and promoting a love of reading, but it's also a platform and infrastructure for our community.

So as you mentioned before, you know, not only are we a place where people can com get books and enjoy a program, but it's also a place where other organizations are using the library as infrastructure to serve the community in ways that they don't or aren't able to do with their own footprint in the county.

So I was writing.

This week.

Yeah.

With the parks, I mean, parks are similar.

You know, we're one of two only institutions that have the kind of footprint we have across the county and across the region.

I'm interested in that.

Back to Covid, just a little bit.

Some of the things that were put in place during Covid.

I was working at the emergency Operations center during that time and stuff was shut down and communicate and do it in.

So many institutions like the library were innovative.

I don't know if you had the hoopla app before that or got it during that time.

It's fabulous.

I use it all the time, but what is something that you put in place during that time that your audience loved and that you've kept?

Yeah.

The convenience of grab and go services.

We don't necessarily do that anymore, but it's kind of focusing on that type of concierge service where we're addressin people directly, what they need so people can actually go online right now and fill out a form telling us what the favorite books they just recently read.

And we'll have a professiona librarian go through those lists and see what they recommend for you to read next.

That's so cool.

Jason, do you feel pressure to read impressive books now?

No.

Not at all.

Yeah, yeah.

As a matter of fact, you mentioned Gretchen.

I was a terrible reader for the last, you know, decade or so.

But in the last ten years, I've been reading a lot more because of audiobooks.

And people suggest, you know, that audiobooks may or may not be reading, but I will.

My family certainly does.

I mean.

Let's just be clear.

If the head of the library says an audiobook is reading.

It.

Is full stop.

Are you allowed many.

Places family to send you a day?

Did they read that it was a read to you?

Well, they you shouldn't talk to that anymore.

The a lot of places at work and people's office space, they would get in trouble for reading at their desk.

Yeah.

Are you allowed to read at your desk during.

Desk conception that our staff just sit around reading all day, which is absolutely not true.

I think we would all love to be able to.

Do that.

Jason if you could pick any celebrity who may or may not have been in Mash.

Who would be the person that you would like to have you read your audiobooks to you if you could pick anyone's voice?

Oh, definitely.

Jamie.

Yes.

Yeah yeah yeah.

Yeah, I see, I can see it.

I'm gonna steal one of Matt's questions that we ask guests from time to time.

Oh, you my dad.

You could.

Be awkward.

Yes.

Yeah.

That for me?

I'm sorry.

Kathy.

So when you're designin new programs or thinking about new initiatives at the library, when you're thinking about the the folks that you serve, who is that person?

It's everybody.

I mean, it's interesting.

The library, it' a multigenerational institution.

So we're serving we're serving new families, people with young children, but also our senior folks who are coming together and finding places to come to be together.

And so it's it.

One of the challenging things to talking about the library is the fact that we do so many things for so many different people, and so even our communications team do a remarkable jo of trying to drill into, like, what are the things that are really going to resonate with our community.

And, and ultimately that's what drives the programs and services that we provide.

We don't sit around trying to think of things that we want to do.

We we're trying to listen to what our what our staff are hearing day in and day out.

And your offices are at the main library.

Correct?

There's been two times in the past couple of weeks I've been able to be at that location.

One was for the Metropark takeover day, which is amazing.

And then the weekend after, we attended the Peace Choir there in the atrium and and saying, and my sister was in from out of town.

So we're just walking around and looking at everything.

I mean, it is a truly spectacular location all the way down from the meeting rooms downstairs.

The renovation, I mean, the parking garage.

Every single thing about it is beautiful, spectacular.

So well taken care of.

Do you lose sight of that when you walk in there every day to go, to go to your.

Office background?

No.

Do you.

Or do you?

Yeah.

I try to make a concerted effort to, to to appreciate that when I walk in there.

I mean, it's you have this gorgeous 1940s Art deco historic building, but also the the innovative edition that was added in early 2000.

It's 300,000ft of covering two city blocks.

And and there's somethin for everyone in that building.

And it's pretty it's pretty remarkable.

I vaguely remember I think a conversation with you standing in the the atrium is the like the, the main lobby there.

How often do the glass tiles get checked?

Once a year.

We have somebody who come through and taps every piece of.

So we have those ligh glass panels and glass murals.

Yeah.

No.

They're tapped every.

They're tapped every year to to test the integrity, to make sure they're not falling off the walls.

And so it's something that people know about that.

And we do have guided tours people or self-guided tours.

People can pick up a brochure.

And if you've got a got an hour you want to spend and you want to learn about the building and the history behind that library, and.

That I think was invented in Toledo.

Correct?

Sure.

Now, I don't know what to do.

Yeah, yeah.

I also have to ask you about.

So parking garage.

Yes, sir.

Drive down to the parking garage and there is a gate or an arm at the parking garage that raises and lowers when you pull up to it.

But.

But it can't wait to see where this is going.

That's so interesting.

Why does that exist?

We did charge for.

It used.

To be charged.

We used to charge for parking.

And so, you know, people would have a couple hours of free parking and then we would ask for people to contribute.

But during the pandemic, we raised those to get rid of those fees.

And now we try to make sure that people are using it for library purposes.

But it is a you know, it's a public asset.

And we want to make sure that there's access to it.

So you want them to remove the gate.

Is that what.

You're saying No, I just I mean, I just like.

It's it isn't often, but it isn't often that you go into a lot that has an arm.

Yeah, but it's free.

Yeah.

So it's like, well, what's the point of it if it's free?

But I didn't realize.

Jason's Jason's gentle reminde that I'm in control here.

Yes.

My back.

And he had my des just push a button all day long.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right, that's right.

But you could do that while you're listening.

To a book.

Yeah.

It's perfect.

We got about a minute left.

Jason, I'm curious.

Kind of your first, you know, as a as a kid.

What?

Your relationship with you local library in northeast Ohio.

What was.

What was that like?

Will it be Lake Library in northeast Ohio?

Right.

That's a good one.

And I devoured every Judy Blume Encyclopedia Brown.

Beverly Brown.

Yeah, I love those.

Yeah yeah, yeah.

And so, you know, devourin those as a kid and yeah, again, learning to love reading.

Not a lot of people.

Cyclopedia Brown evolved into Dateline.

The reason why people don't know.

That is it sponsored by Mitchell?

Yeah All right, let me take a break.

When we come back.

I want to talk about where the library is going.

We're talking with Jason Kuchma from Toledo, Lucas County Public Library.

We'll be right back on the 419.

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We're talking with Jason Kuchma, the director of the Lucas County Public Library.

I looked it up.

Vitor light was invented in the early 1900s.

That's what I said.

There was the light glass company and also the Pittsburgh Glass Company that were the early manufacturers.

But Libby, Owens.

Ford.

Created this in the 1920 and 1930, like, manufactured it.

So it.

Is right.

It was manufactured in Toledo.

You hear that, Shane?

You were right.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

That's true.

That's normal.

That's true.

I'll take it.

I'll take it.

Jason.

Jamie invented it.

Talk to me.

He and his buddy, Ellen Alden.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So let's talk about the library.

How do you guys.

Maybe let's talk about just the structure of planning for the library.

How far ahead are you guys looking?

And what does that process look like to figure out?

I mean, you serve so many people.

In so many ways.

And so to try and think about what is the community need from the library X number of years from now?

How in the world do you do that?

I'll say if I could in how do you do that?

And also what is succes look like for a library system?

I mean success to start with that, success looks like people using their public library, and we have over 290,000 people have a library card in Lucas County.

And we want to make sure that number keeps growing.

But planning, we do strategic planning to make sure that we're aligned, aligning our goals, our objectives with what the community needs.

But we also have facilities planning.

And so right now, we're in the middle of doing a lot of work that was made possible through voters passing a bond issue in 2024, $153 millio worth of work across the county to take care of, upgrade, renovate, build new libraries across across the county.

And so.

You know, the facilities master plan that like these are the needs of these locations.

Here's how we can improve them.

Make sure that they're still usable for the next ten, 20.

30 for the lay person.

I just want to make sure that we beat this to death because it is complicated.

It's not something people wal around with in terms of funding.

Right.

The passing of the bond money went to what, as opposed to operating.

Can you walk us through a little bit of that?

Because I don't know that people.

People need to make sure they understand how this money is allocate and what the purpose of it is.

So I'll start by saying that Ohio public libraries are considered the gold standard for public libraries in the country.

And part of that has to do with statewide funding that we get through the public library fund.

That makes up about 40% of our operating budget, and the remaining 60 comes from local property taxes.

That's our operating levy.

And we come back to voter every five years and ask them, how are we doing?

Would you pass this again so we can keep doing this?

Good work.

But we did pass a bond issue in 2024 which is solely used for bricks and mortar to basically to renovate, upgrade and basically take care of this infrastructure that our community has already paid for to begin with.

So you think about think about how do we preserve this investment and make it last for another ten, 20, 30, 40 years?

How do you get.

This may be a stupid question, but I do wonder about it in terms of the the books that you own.

Right The person checking out a book.

How do you know who is the person and how do you know how many of of like, there's some big title coming out.

How often until you get it?

How do you know something's going to be huge?

Is someone trying to sell libraries?

Books?

How do you know which location you should have the actual physical book at first.

Like, what are the logistics of getting the physical.

Books right?

Would you like it?

It's so interesting.

Mother's name.

What's your favorite belief?

It is fascinating It's an aspect of librarianship.

The collection development.

Librarians are spending all their time reading the literature.

Reading.

So they are reading.

I knew you'd do it.

Good job.

That's like investigative journalism.

Yep.

Dateline.

Like Judy Blume on daylight.

So?

So the spend their time figuring out.

All the.

Yeah.

I mean, reading, literature, reading, you know, all the magazines and trying to understand what reading the reviews of books and trying to understand what are the big titles and picking a certain number.

And we have a floating collection.

So we purchase a certain amount and they float around around the county.

People request them to their to their location.

They're delivered to that location, but usually within a day or two.

So yeah, it's it is a fascinating honestly.

It is also it's a process that boggles me.

It's not.

Day to day Fascinating logistical problems.

That seems like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I would have come back to the strategic planning kind of discussion as you think about what's what's next and how you guys pull that together.

What, what what is the process for that?

And then what does the future look like for our library.

So we have a roadmap right now that we're working from.

That really kind of calls on us to be the first place people turn to when they want to broaden their horizons or connect with one another.

And that's our kind of vision for through the end of 2026.

And this year, we'll spend a lot of time with our staff and with our community trying to figure out what that roadmap looks like moving forward.

And I would, you know, I am certain that literacy is going to be at the core focus of the work to do for the next 5 to 10 years, because right now we are struggling.

I mean, kids are struggling in school.

We have low literacy rates across the country.

And so that's I think we have a duty, I think, in our community, to both help bolster our teachers and our in our families and caregivers who are helping kids read, but also helping to develop that love of reading.

Can you provide a little bit of contex for a declining literacy rate, so that if you have them i I for jumping you with some stat questions, but can you give us some?

Yeah, I don't I don't know that stats but we you know we've been thinking about the learning loss through Covid right.

And that's been and there was just a study that came out, I think within the last couple of days that really focus on it's not just Covid, bu actually happened before that.

We're learning started to we started seeing learning losses du to technology and social media, and that being a lot of a lot of the reason why.

And that is plugged into this decline.

In what way?

From a social media standpoint, we are learning or reading less because we don't have enough in-depth understanding or we become lazy.

I mean, I can't even get into the psychology of social media, but yeah, I think it has all those not but so we really want it.

I mean, there's there are studies that say also that reading helps you with wha we're well-being, your wellness, your mental capacity, your cognition.

And so there's a whole host of health benefits to reading that we want to really lean into as a community and help support our community.

And we joke around about we've joked around about it even just several times in this episode about my belief of a failure of leadership both at the national and state level.

Just sort of a belief that just sort of a general lack of curiosity or education or information is like a good thing to be.

It's a good thing that you don't need those things in your life.

What are you seeing?

What is the library's position as it relates relates to that trending sort of position in our country and what can be done about it?

Well.

You're speaking my language around curiosity because I talk about that with my leadership team all the time and with our staff, like we need to develop a more healthy love of curiosity, being more curious about everything that's going on around us.

We make so many quick assumptions about what's happening in our communities, what's happening at the federal, in our governments, and what's happening in our schools.

And we need to be asking more questions.

And I think as an as an institution that is dedicated to lifelong learning, and we really want to kind of lean into that as well and kind of helping people be curious.

And our programs are designed to do that and help people be curious and help people, again, broaden their horizons.

People talking with Jason Kuchma from the city, Lucas County Public Library.

Go ahead.

How can people.

Still be curious if they can just talk into their phon and get an answer to a question?

Well, yeah I think you need to interrogate what you're getting back when you ask that question.

Right.

And are you getting.

And I think there's obviously value we want we want people connecting with one another as well.

Through the pandemic and through technology, we've see so much more social isolation.

And we know that that has mental health effects and bustle, physical health effects.

And so we're trying to pu people together more frequently.

And the library can do that.

They do very well.

I'm curious about, you know, when you think about the future location planning, you've got a new facility that's opening up.

You're going to build right next door to where we are right now, right?

Right.

How does that way into kind of decisions on, you know, obviously you've got, you know, brand new buildings going up.

You've got buildings, you know, and branches that that unfortunately are closing.

What where does that come from.

So you know.

We're right now we're in the middle of this, you know, at the beginning of the first chapter, if you will, of our of our capital work.

And so we're building a new location on Alexis and Tremaine ville that should be opening later this year, beginning of next year.

We're designing the new librar that's going to take the place of Holland Branc right there in Strawberry Acres.

And again, as you mentioned we purchased property next door to get here where we're goin to build a consolidated branch that will serve the the Heather Downs in Toledo Heights communities.

And I'm, I'm in meetings with architects every week and talking about all of those projects.

So those are the three that are kind of running in tandem right now at various stages.

And thinking about we d our community engagement work.

We're asking people what they love about their library, what they'd like to se in their library moving forward.

But, you know, we know we'r trying to build for flexibility.

How is our community goin to change in the next 20 years?

We know that meeting space, places for people to come together, our far between and outside of parks, and we're trying to create more opportunities for that, for people to come together as groups or as individuals.

I know we've said this almost every piece of our question answer session here and I by no means is literacy and education and scrutinizing information that doesn't take a backseat to anything.

But you mentioned a couple o things that people talk about.

The library system is their library, right?

And that i that is the gods honest truth.

I know that is a fact.

People talk about the library of my library is or my library is King Branch.

And as we transition awkwardly into Gretchen's wacky quiz, which is always the decline o even some sense of civilization.

Yeah, but the ability for us to commune again and again, we're not on a soapbox here about the apocalypse being upon us from just connecting through our phones.

Those are listening that the air quotes there.

But why is it important for us to be able to gather and get information?

I think the more time we spend with each other that we recognize how much more we have in common with each other.

And I think, you know, technology, pandemics, things that push us further apart.

It's much easie to to make assumptions, to draw out people withou actually asking and finding out.

And so I think anytime we could be in the same room with each other.

There's opportunities for growth.

We talk about the benefits of a library.

And you talk about, you know curiosity, learning, academic, you know, all of the folks that you serve in so many different ways.

But there's a there's an economic benefit t invest in the library as well.

Yeah.

I mean, you're mentioning people have ownership of the library and that's that's not just metaphorical.

We are paid for through public dollars.

And so we want to make sure as a leadership team and as a system as a whole, and with my trustees, that we're providing a good value for that dollar.

And so we recently did a social return on investment study.

We spent the last year looking at a couple pillars of our strategic planning priorities, and assesse that about $7 is being returned for every dollar that that's invested.

And I think so, yeah.

Jason, briefly, you are also involved in a little known organization called the Toledo Aerial Cultural Leaders, along with some other majo institutions in our community.

Why is it important for the librar to be part of that organization?

Yeah.

So, you know, you know, all these one of the things that makes Toledo amazing is these quality of life amenities that we have.

And so I think that we punch well above our weight when it comes to the resources that we have to make life great here.

And so wanting to make sure that we're aligned with what's happening at the art museum, what's happening at the Metroparks, what's happening with the museum, the Great Lakes performing arts in the community.

And so having those regular check ins with each other, finding out wha people are working on, helping solve problems together, I think a lot of that.

Anytime, you know, one of the things, another thing that's great about Toledo is that we're small enoug to have that kind of proximity with one another, and we're we're not necessaril always competing for resources.

And how do we support each other in those ways?

Let's talk about Community foundation, right.

I mean, you're you're a leader of an incredible organization that serves the community.

You've had tremendous leadership and vision in your time at the library.

There's a there's a change that is still afoot at the Community Foundation.

Talk to me about what you're seein coming out of that organization.

Yeah, yeah.

So, I mean, Kate, I think I've been really impressed with the wor that she's been doing over the early time in her tenure.

We've worked with them pretty closely around the cente for Nonprofit Resources as well, because we have a small business and nonprofit department, and so we want to work in tandem with them.

So thinking about what the future of that institution looks like.

And I've been I've appreciated that Kate and her team have brought a lot of community folk together to to help chart that path forward.

You know, so they're not trying to do it in a vacuum.

Jason Kushner to the Lucas County Public Library.

All right, buckle up.

It's now time for.

Gretchen's wacky quiz.

For rapid fire questions.

You're described Toledo in one word and your nine favorite things in Toledo.

That's the 419.

If you were making dinner, what would you make?

Well mostly making it from the kids.

So mac and cheese.

That's fair.

If you found a genie and had three wishes, you can't wish for more wishes.

You can't make anyone fall in love.

And you can't bring anybody back from the dead.

No.

These are the dumb genie.

These are.

These are Aladdin's rules.

What would you wish for?

World peace.

Happiness for everyone.

And boy, three more wishes.

You said I can do that.

If you could have dinner with anyone from.

With anybody from history, who would it be?

And why is it Jamie fa.

That was amazing, Jamie.

Yes.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

All right.

If you drew everything that came to your head.

What would you be drawing right now?

And why?

Why?

Why isn't Jamie Foxx.

Yes.

That's very good question.

Yes.

Yeah, sure.

Okay, sure.

What is the what is the one word you would us to describe the city of Toledo?

Surprisingly nice.

Okay.

I don't think anyone said.

All right, brother, buckle up.

Nine.

Let's do it from the top.

People love it.

Parks.

Yep.

Possibility.

Yeah, I love it.

Words.

History.

Hands.

Yeah.

Hummus.

Yes.

Nice.

Guthrie left.

Gretchen, Matt and Kevin.

Nice.

Wait.

What's the bride's name?

Megan.

Good list.

Well.

Jason.

We're so happy you were here.

Thanks for having me.

It was.

So fun.

Most of us are happy you're here.

Jason if people want more information on the library, where can they find it?

I was going to lead a library.

Org.

What's the next big thing you guys are working on?

That people can get excited about?

Summer reads coming up right around the corner.

We had tens of thousands of people participate in the summer reprogram.

It's a way for us to kind of make sure the kids are reading ove the summer and make sure adults are reading as well, and their prizes, and people can ear and just read as much as I can over the summer.

I think we should have a summer read competition between the three of us so that I can win some prizes.

Do it.

It's the only contest you're going to win with the three of us.

Yeah.

If people don't have a library card, what's the.

What's the process to get a library card?

Very easy.

We make it super easy to just go to Toledo Library.

I think in the top right inside of the page, it says get a card or stop by any location.

And our staff would be gla to give you get you a library.

And you can download the hoopla app.

And you can rent audiobooks from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library Lots of lots of digital options.

Lots of things in person print.

All.

All the above.

Great.

Jason Cushman, Toledo, Lucas County Public Library, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

Appreciate it.

You brought us some gifts.

We will on social media.

We'll open those up.

We're going to take a break.

When we come back, we'll b joined by T's own and a real TV.

Real legend.

Donnie Miller We'll be right back on the 419.

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Welcome back into the 419 power BI.

It's not often I am.

I am legitimately nervous as we go into this because I am such a huge fan of our next guest.

Please welcome to the set, Owen Donnie Miller Donnie, thank you so much for being here.

You are so welcome.

That was a really nice compliment.

You don't get a raise, but thank you.

Well, well, that's the show.

That's it.

That's right.

We're done now.

So first of all, you've been doing a show here on wheat for a minute.

Why don't you talk to us about, you know, what i and why do you do to the point.

First of all, I have to tell you that working here is a dream.

It is an absolute dream that the staff is amazing.

Shane is incredible.

I mean, they're all.

They're all just really, really so good.

Now there's two Shane's then.

Because we just.

Have Shane.

Did you hear that?

I was trying to.

Yeah.

It's just been a joy.

It's such a break from what I do every day.

And the issue that we face in my regular job, which are sometimes life or death issues, quite frankly, and navigating a really tumultuous political landscape nationally and locally.

So this is my this is a piece of my joy.

This show is really a piece of my.

Joy when when we starte this program, the most common, you know, the two common thing we got from feedback was like, you're going to do it every day.

And then people talk about like, we're going to run out of people to talk, to run out of great stories.

I mean, you've been doin your show for for a while now.

Yeah.

And I got to believe you probably feel the same that we do, that you're never going to run out of great stories.

Absolutely never.

I mean, never.

In fact, my challenge is.

And and the folks here will support this easily as I'm changing things at the last minute, all the time.

I'm getting my stuff in, like just under the wire because things change so often.

I mean, there's all this discussion now about the Voter Rights Act, right?

Wasn't on the wasn't on the radar at this level three months ago, four months ago.

So, yeah, we absolutely neve run out of things to talk about.

And actors change and so perspectives change.

So the same issues may come back but they look different.

You know, they sound different.

I'm always curious as someone who tries to stay on top of issues and and opinions when, when you wake up and when you start your routine, where do you go for information?

Do you ever?

Most people check a series of things to get their information or their news.

Do you have a regiment in that way?

It's it's an unintended one.

I think after you do this kind of work for a long time, for as long as I have, I was I had a show at another station for 25 years.

So after you do this kind of work for a while, people tell you things, you know, and so you which I think is such a valid source of, of information.

I mean, we really want to know what people think.

The issues aren't issues, really, unless they're important to people.

And so I listened to folks who call me or who'll come to me and they'll say, I'll tell you this, but don't you tell anybody.

I'll say, okay, nobody watches the show.

I won't tell anybody, you know?

And and I have my significant other who reads who, who reads newspapers all day and listens to to radio shows all day, is always calling and telling me things.

So it's not, it's not a let me get up and read the newspaper and, and then see what's online.

It's not that kind of information.

To me.

A little bit about the responsibility you feel to b the gather of this and then be, at minimum, a beacon or a vector for voices and issues.

That's that's a lot of responsibility.

Well, and that's a very nice of you to say.

I don't see it in quite that large of, you know, scope, but I have to tell you that it's not as much a responsibility as it is and honor, I mean, to get to to have someone give you a venue to talk about the issues that you think are important is really pretty cool stuff.

I mean, it's really it's it's it's undefinable for me.

It's I wake up every day and, and I try and focus o gratitude, if that makes sense.

And this is one someone said to me yesterday, have a good day on purpose.

And I thought, oh, yeah, you know, I've heard that.

But today it makes sense.

I'm going to have a good day on purpose.

And part of that is folding in the gratitude that I feel for having been given the opportunity here in other places to talk about issues that I that that I think are important to, to make life better, to to educate folk on how they can make the choices they need to make to live the quality of life that they want to live.

Not that I thin or you think or gret you think.

The quality of life that people decide they want to live it.

That's the right.

They live in this country.

And for now, that's they still.

Have, for at least for now.

Tell us.

A little bit about the we at least.

I am also surprised and appreciative when people want to come on the show and and talk to us.

It's just, you know, it's it's a very.

Interesting experience.

Especially this hour.

Yes, exactly.

Well tell us.

Talk to us a little bit about the the commitment to the local focus that w t has and why that focus on local issues is even national issues.

How they affect local people is important.

First of all, don't you?

I mean, I have to say that I mean, this is this is going to sound like a love fest between me and the station.

And it, in fact is.

But I was so proud of the way they sort of got knocked down and stood back up, and they and they did it quickly.

And they did it with this, this, this.

You got me.

You think you got me, bu you really didn't sort of focus.

And we're going to keep doing this work that we do.

And I think for everybody ou there who pushes back that way.

No matter what side of the aisle you're on, you have the right to say what you want to say.

And I don't think that that people, because we're distracted by the fact that here two weeks ago, gas was 4.99 a gallon.

This mornin I saw at 436, I think, a gallon.

But those things are extremely important.

But at the end of the day, imagine not having the ability to say what you want to say out loud without fear.

And a lot of folks are afraid right now to say what they want to say.

This station stood up and they said, you didn't get me this time.

And I love.

That we do too.

I love that.

I want to talk about Danny Miller outside of TV, but let's start with wit little Donny Miller as a child.

Talk to me about childhood.

Where did you grow up and what was that?

What was that like?

So I grew up since you asked, because really, I don't think anybody cares.

But since you asked, I grew up in.

I was born in a little town in Mississipp called Louisville, Mississippi.

It's so small, in fact that the streets my mother had huge, huge family.

11 brothers.

Wow.

Seven.

I mean, just a huge family.

And the the streets were named after some of my uncles who were there.

So, like, if you wanted to g someplace, they'd say, you know, you want to go to the Walmart.

Well, like you go down the road.

It's hard at Leo Street, my Uncle Leo, or you go down, you see where where Harvey lives.

My Uncle Harvey and his little red clay.

Your family made up the whole town.

Well.

That's pretty close.

That's true.

Pretty close.

And I was raised by.

I left there and my parents moved to Philadelphia.

But I was raised, which is where I essentially grew up, was in Philadelphia.

My parents were tough, old fashioned Mississippi bread and born black folk.

They they didn't take nonsense.

They didn't take excuses.

You get your stuff done.

I don't want to hear about your issues.

You think you got issues?

I got issues, you know, you're a kid.

Do what you do, what you have to do.

My, my my dad's family, relatively speaking, was was fairly well off, at least better than my mom's feel.

And my mom and her brothers picked cotton.

They took it into the market every day to sell it.

They raised their own everything.

I'll never forget seeing my grandmother kill a chicken for foo for us to take back on a train.

We had gone to Mississipp and we had taken the train down.

I didn't eat chicken again for a very, very, very long time.

I would imagine.

It's a it's not for the faint of heart.

And but anyway, I ended up leaving Philadelphia.

My dad was a principal of a school in Mississipp and then a teacher in the north, and people were migrating to the north.

Obviously, you guys know that story better jobs and all that, but he really couldn't make enough money as a teacher to support the family.

And my mom's brothers lived in Detroit.

They were all working in factories and said, you know, come to Detroit, you can make a ton of money.

We moved to Detroit.

I was there for I was there for a few years, went to undergrad there came here to go to law school.

And yeah, that's that's how I got here.

When you're not Donnie Miller, the TV star, who is Donnie Miller?

I don't know this Donnie Miller, the TV star person you're.

Talking about But she's a nightmare.

Is she?

I heard that that contract and saying.

You would hate her.

I know she's.

Like, I only want the the chocolate kisses.

Yeah.

We've been picking through Eminem's.

That's what the Eminem says it.

So who am I?

Yeah.

What's your day job?

A little bit about NHK.

Yep.

So NHK is really.

Pretty cool.

It is.

It is a system.

We have 1414 clinics now, and opening one on a new one on the 22nd of May, which is really cool.

It's called Doc Martens.

Doc Martens, Remedy Shop and apothecary.

Couldn' remember the name for a minute.

Doc Martens Remedy Shop in apothecary and it has a clinic in it.

I'll talk a second in the second about the clinic talked.

It has a pharmacy and it's a second pharmacy that we're running, and it has this really cool old fashioned ice cream shop.

So you.

Might ask why we have an ice cream shop in the same.

I wouldn't.

Ask that.

Yeah.

Either either.

God's will.

To me, that's what I think.

I think that's the pharmac that's in the clinic, actually.

Make them sick.

Feed them ice.

Cream soda.

It's a close business.

That's exactly right.

That's it.

Where is this location?

It's in.

Hens ville.

It's righ across from.

Fricker, in fact.

And it opens next Friday.

But our focus, first of all, I think personally I think that quality healthcare is a right.

I think everybody ought to have it.

You when you start parsing out something so important because of your ability to pay for it, you are essentially saying to the world, you're important and you're not.

You're valuable and you're not.

I gues that's the same thing, but it's you don't.

We need a level playing field.

If we want this country to really be its best, we need to level the playing field.

And so invite me back so I can talk about feminist theory and and, you know, the impact the real impact of the assault on on the Voting Rights Act and those things that are designed to separate.

Us.

Which is designed to make the country less functional.

I mean, it's we're never going to reach this sort of these ideals we claim to have.

The way we are currently structured and health care is a major part of that.

If you don't feel, I mean, when have you gotten anything productive done when you were too sick to get off the couch, you know, fo not because you drank too much the night before, bu because you're you're so sick, because your diabetes is out of control.

And there's not a Dagen thing you can do about it.

NH a neighborhood health association is what they call a federall qualified health center system.

So the government gives us money to help level that playing field.

We we tackle the toughest folks in our system to get to.

And those folks that are just looking for great care of all of those.

But the the, the equalizing factor is it doesn't matter who you ar or what what your insurance is.

If you have insurance, that's great.

We work with your insuranc company, helps us pay the bills.

If you don't have insurance, we'll figure it out.

We're talking with Johnny Miller.

I want to do Gretchen's wacky quiz with you just because it' the most ridiculous thing we do.

But we're going to.

We're going to do it.

We're gonna do it on social media.

So we'll give you a minute, because we've got about two minutes left.

Talk to me.

You'r also working on a documentary.

Yeah.

Shane was Shane.

No no no he's every.

Time Shane's the best.

He is like.

Of all the Shane's that work here he is the best thing.

He's got great.

Folks working with him though.

That part is true.

They have great people working with him.

The documentary is about health care and about community health care in particular, and he's been working on it.

I'm really just sort of tagging along that he's been working on it for quite a long time, and I'm pretty excited about it.

Can I can I say this, though?

I'll say it really fast.

The one of the things that, that we need to pay attention to is because we're all getting old guys.

I mean, whether you like it or not you wake up in the morning and.

I don't like it.

I know.

You don't.

Know if that was a survey.

Okay?

You don't like it?

Yes.

If we could choose.

I do not.

Like you guys ought to settle him down.

Take his coffee.

Okay.

I don't.

Even drink.

The issues that are facing seniors in the homelessness, the.

The.

The food insecurity.

And I kind of hate that word.

Food insecurity.

I mean some people just have no food.

They're not insecure about it.

They they know they don't have it.

And when you see people who are 70 years old finding foraging through trash cans and standing in food lines.

So I know this is a lot for this time of the day, bu we really need to pay attention to that particular issue because the population is just getting older.

Right.

Right.

I'm sorry to close on this, and it feels disjointed for for me to ask this question of you put your spot certainly from someone.

Famil is coming from Mississippi, but are we going to make it out of this?

Do you feel like there's irreparable damage been done to the core of our institutions here?

Can you give us some hope?

And the reason why it's uncomfortable to ask is because certainly, between the two of us, based on demographics, you kno a lot more about the injustice in our systems than than I. But are we?

Is there hope here?

Can you provide me with your thoughts on that?

You know, the part of the part of my personality that is purely feminist an revolutionary says, you got it.

You got to got.

To have it.

You know, the more pragmatic side of me says, okay, we might be, but how long is it going to take us to.

Repair.

What's been done, even in terms of just the way we've begun to think about each other?

How long is it?

Is that going to happen in my lifetime, I don't know.

I don't I don't think so.

That's the concern, is that the changes that have happened to people going to care enough to go back.

Right.

And fix what the problems that.

Right.

Yeah, absolutely.

To the point with Donny Miller on Wagt.

You can check it out.

What?

Donny.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

So this turned out.

To be so.

Much fun.

Yeah, well, thank you for the surprise.

Turn to be.

So much fun.

I love it.

We're gonna take a break.

We'll get back.

We'll wrap up this Tuesday edition of the 419.

Every day when.

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With us, you learned with us.

We made sure your childhood was special.

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And today is no different.

This is public media in Toledo.

It's where you belong.

Welcome back into the 419 powered by.

As we wrap up a Tuesday edition and a jam packed show.

Jason Kuchma from the library and Donnie Miller.

She's fantastic.

We're not worthy.

No, not at all.

She's.

I am.

But you too.

Come on.

She's got a great program here on wtih.

But.

But beyond that, doin incredible work in the community with Neighborhood Health.

They've got a new building opening up later this month.

Actually, just in a couple of days.

And then, of course, documentary short going on with Shane talked about.

You can find information on all of that at TV.

What's something that you learned from Jason that you didn't already know.

From Jason?

Yep.

How to say his last name.

That's fair.

It is tough.

After 20 some odd years?

No.

I am excited about summer reading starting June 1st, so I think we should all do it.

Yeah, and we did it, darling.

Yeah.

So he gave us these gifts.

We didn't get to it on the actual show.

So this is a surprise to you.

But we did walk through this on social media.

You can check out that segment on our social media channels.

These are the gifts that when you complete the Summer reading challenge you get a sweet mug like this.

So just one of the many ways that they are serving the community.

If you missed any part of the show, the interview with Jason the interview with Donny Miller, you can catch at 7 a.m.

on YouTube, 3 p.m.

on FM 91 or 6 p.m.

on T connect channel 30.4, of course online.

For one nine.

It's the 419 powered by and presente by Whitehall Wealth Management.

The 419 Howard by team is made possible in part by supporters like you.

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