"The city of South Tucson could probably throw a rock and hit someone that Sol knows," says Aaron Valdivia, branch manager of the El Pueblo Library. "He's a man of the people. It sounds cliché and corny, but that's Sol."
Sol Gómez, 32, is the branch manager of the Sam Lena Library and the winner of the 2009 "I Love My Librarian" award. The award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding librarians nationwide.
Though Gómez was surprised to win, Valdivia explains that there are several factors that led to Gómez being honored by the American Library Association.
"He's easily approachable. You can talk to him about anything," he says. "If you know anything about the way the library field works, it's that it's really important to connect with the youth." Valdivia notes that while Gómez is laid back, he also takes his job very seriously.
"When the time comes and [kids] are having trouble in school, he's all about helping them. He uses his own personality to keep kids coming into the library."
Valdivia, who first worked for Gómez after moving from Phoenix to Tucson, says Gómez is responsible for showing him the ropes in the South Tucson community.
"South Tucson can sometimes get a bad rap," he says. "But I like working here. Sol was the first librarian that I worked for, and he showed me what South Tucson needs and wants. He lives in this area. It's not like this is just his job and he commutes. He lives down here and works down here."
Gómez is responsible for a variety of programs at his library and assists with information on citizenship, taxes and school. With his focus on youth, Gómez is also working on a health-related cooking program for teens that will model the show "Iron Chef."
However, Gómez's road to becoming a librarian was unexpected.
Gómez was born in Tucson but raised in Sierra Vista.
"We lived out in the boonies, so we did a lot of outdoor activities," he says. He and his sister, Azul, didn't have many toys and subsequently spent a lot of time developing their imaginations. Gómez says that his family owned a television but didn't have cable, so he spent a lot of time reading.
Despite his early reading habits, Gómez says it never once crossed his mind to be a librarian. In fact, "I was actually kicked out of the U of A," he says.
"I didn't do so well, and they told me, 'You need to pick a major and stick to it'." Gómez thought Spanish literature was a good choice as a native speaker, and that it would be easy.
"It wasn't," he says. "But I really, really enjoyed it. I got lucky."
After returning to the University of Arizona and graduating with a bachelor's degree in Spanish literature, Gómez worked for Pima County supervisor Richard Elias. While working on the campaign, he met his wife, whose mother is a librarian.
"She said to me, 'It's not just about reading, Sol'," he says. Through his librarianship, Gómez learned that librarians stay current by providing the best technology that the public library can afford, particularly for communities that struggle to bridge the "digital gap."
"We offer computers, Internet, and help people develop skills necessary to survive in today's fast-paced world," he says.
He explained that he earned his degree through a program called Knowledge River, a Tucson-based program run by the UA School of Information Resources and Library Science. The program recruits Latinos and Native Americans, and also focuses on serving low-income communities.
Winning the nationwide award has opened other doors for Gómez. He has been asked to serve as the legislative chair of REFORMA, an organization that serves to promote library services to Spanish-language communities nationwide. Additionally, he is working on a project with the New York Public Library to update their Web site for the upcoming year.
Gómez explains that he likes what he does because he is a people person. As the branch manager, he has a large part in deciding what programs are available to the community, such as Nuestras Raíces, a festival that celebrates Mexican-American literature and culture. Gómez has also helped decide on events that promote the importance of the upcoming census.
"Everything has to do with learning," he says. "I mean, they're fun programs, but you also learn."
While his path to success may have been challenging, choosing a location to put his skills to use wasn't difficult.
"I said, 'I'll work anywhere on the south side.' I knew I wanted to work with the Spanish-speaking community. I could have worked anywhere, but I wanted to work here," he says.
One thing Gómez hopes to change as a librarian is the stereotype associated with his career. Gómez explains that a majority of librarians are female and of a particular age bracket.
"A lot will be retiring soon," he says. "We're trying to recruit young, motivated people into the career."
Gómez says that Knowledge River is currently accepting applications and is a good choice for those who meet the criteria of the program.
"The thing is, you have your school pretty much paid for through that program. I even convinced my sister, Azul, to go to library school," he says.
When Gómez isn't busy assisting the community of South Tucson, he likes to spend time with his wife and two children. He also enjoys lifting weights, and—of course—reading.
"We have two kids now. We don't read as much as we used to. My favorite book used to be 'The Count of Monte Cristo', but I've read a lot more since then," he says. "It's hard to pick one. As long as I can get a couple pages in a day, I'm good."
Valdivia says that despite winning the "I Love My Librarian" award, Gómez will remain humble.
"He doesn't flaunt that kind of stuff. It's not going to change the way he does his job," he says, noting that Gómez will still know his community members by first name and continue to work hard on programs that serve South Tucson.
"He likes his job, he likes his community and they're both interconnected. He's giving people the resources that they need."
"That's what a public librarianship's all about."
