Northeast Ohio librarian recognized for excellence

When Steven Haynie agreed to a speaking engagement for the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NORLS) in Cincinnati 16 years ago, he had no inkling that he would become a library manager and the recipient of the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s (CCPL) 2026 Service Excellence Award, which recognizes an outstanding librarian for their management skills and service to the community.

“It’s exciting,” said Haynie, the manager of the CCPL’s South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch. He will be honored on Oct. 21 at the annual Ohio Library Council’s Convention and Expo at the Kalahari Convention Center in Sandusky.

Haynie recalled that about one year after his NORLS  presentation took place, the then-South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch Manager Kris Grill called him and recommended the role to him. “I came over and shadowed [her] and I just fell in love with it,” which led him to apply for and eventually receive the position, Haynie said.

“I just come in and look forward to the day. Every day’s not going to be candies and roses, but it’s how you interact with other people,” Haynie said.

This marks a strong accomplishment for Haynie, as Pam Jankowski, CCPL’s chief public services officer, said Haynie was the first winner of the statewide award from the library system’s 27 branches. “When we think about excellent customer service, Steve is the first manager we all think about. He exemplifies excellent customer service in everything he does,” Jankowski said.

Each year, Jankowski submits an application on an employee’s behalf and provides testimonials from individuals they have worked with to showcase their customer service excellence. For Jankowski, getting Haynie’s testimonials was the easiest part. “We reached out to a variety of partners to ask for testimonials. We were only allowed to submit three testimonials. I think I got 10,” Jankowski explained.

Originally, Haynie was not planning to become a librarian. “Ironically enough, librarianship was not my first calling. I thought I was going to be on the news,” Haynie, a South Euclid resident, said. He started his career in libraries through a summer internship at the University of Cincinnati’s Health Science Library and “they liked my personality, and I liked theirs,” and they had an opening for another librarian job. But he chose the CCPL system.

Each partner and customer that Haynie interacts with is met with a smile and his love for serving the library community. “It’s just exciting, 15 years in public libraries and I’m still excited,” Haynie said. He also works with the community to organize events that bring his enthusiasm to other patrons. On Wednesday, Aug. 19, the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, Cleveland Clinic-Euclid Hospital and the Cleveland Heights-University Heights library system put on a ‘70s themed prom for the seniors that are a part of the Memory Café. 

“I love to watch the people interact, just watching people engage,” Haynie said in response to how these events impact him and the community. He also listens to how he can improve on the activities and events offered to patients and other community members. “Each session is a different theme, and that comes from what we hear from patients and what they want to see,” Haynie explained.

Although he is keeping his future endeavors mostly a secret, Haynie would like to bring back the Barbershop Literacy project, which stopped after the COVID-19 pandemic. He wants to continue expanding that programming to include as many participants as possible. 

Even after the award is received, when patrons walk into the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, they will likely be greeted with Haynie’s smile and commitment to making them feel welcome and a sense of overwhelming belonging.