Emily Lloyd — Northfield Public Library, Youth Services Librarian in Northfield, MN
Emily Lloyd is a Youth Services Librarian at Northfield Public Library in Northfield, Minnesota, a town of about 40 miles south of Minneapolis that blends college-town energy with deep farming and factory roots. The library itself has earned national recognition, was named a runner-up for ALA's Best Small Libraries in 2024, and is home to not one but two 2025 Library Journal Movers and Shakers. Emily is proud to be part of a staff that listens closely to what their community needs and finds a way to make it happen.
A big part of what drew Emily to small library work was the chance to wear every hat. Before Northfield, she worked in large urban library systems where the person doing storytime was never the same person making purchasing decisions or shaping policy. At a small, independent library, you get to be all of those people at once. For Emily, that was a feature, not a bug.
Her work with youth and caregivers reflects that hands-on spirit. At the 2025 ARSL Conference, she presented on TELL, a Traveling Early Literacy Library she developed for in-home daycare providers and the children in their care. Many of these providers serve as a de facto preschool for young children who can't easily get to the library. TELL delivers early literacy tips and 100 carefully selected books to their doorsteps over the course of a year. Every provider who has participated reports that their storytimes have become more interactive and the kids more engaged. It's a quiet impact, Emily says, but it's real.
When asked about libraries' role during times of uncertainty, Emily doesn't shy away from the question. She points to the example of Ferguson Library staying open as a community resource after the killing of Michael Brown, and she sees that same responsibility in her own community today. With ICE active in Northfield, her library has been distributing Know Your Rights cards and promoting services people can access from home.
Her advice to other small and rural library workers is simple: find each other. ARSL's professional networking groups, she says, offer both solidarity and practical guidance from people who truly understand what you're up against.
Written by the ARSL Office
