Public libraries’ role in supporting Ukrainian refugees: A focus on Hungary and Poland

Development of interview guide

As the goal was to understand library practices and librarians’ experiences related to the provision of library services to Ukrainian refugees, the interview guide was designed to cover a range of library activities and relevant experiences. Preliminary visits to public libraries in Hungary and Poland were conducted before and during the development of the interview guide to gain initial insights. The guide (see Supplemental Appendix 1) was then collaboratively developed by a research team from Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Sweden, all with expertise in public libraries, librarianship and international migration, with some members having firsthand experience of migration. Additionally, insights and findings from the ALMPUB questionnaire informed the guide’s development. Lastly, feedback on the interview guide was sought from librarians in Denmark, Hungary and Poland to ensure its comprehensibility and relevance.

Sample characteristics

Libraries that actively served newly arrived Ukrainian refugees were purposefully chosen to include a minimum of two libraries from larger urban areas, two from medium-sized communities or suburbs and two from smaller communities. This selection aimed to explore how libraries in different contexts responded to refugee influxes, especially those lacking resources typically found in larger urban centres and capital cities. Additionally, at least one community in each country bordered Ukraine, serving as temporary stops for refugees to regroup before moving on or as temporary bases for those considering returning to Ukraine. The sample comprised six Polish and six Hungarian institutions, including two Polish and one Hungarian library near the border, two Polish and three Hungarian libraries in mid-sized communities or rural areas along migration routes to European countries and two Polish and two Hungarian libraries or branches in major urban centres.

Interview subjects and procedures

Interviewees consisted of library staff or managers at the selected libraries who were directly involved in providing services to refugees following the onset of the Ukrainian conflict. Interviewees were individually invited to participate via mail. Interviews were conducted online and recorded with consent from all participants. The interviews were conducted in Polish and Hungarian, transcribed, and then translated into English using machine translation (DeepL). The translations were verified by the research team for accuracy and clarity before analysis.

Analysis

Interview analysis as bricolage was employed. Within this approach, researchers navigate through a mix of technical discourses, shifting between different analytic techniques. They may conduct multiple readings of the interviews to form an initial impression before delving into specific sections of interest, which may entail the use of techniques such as noting statements reflecting diverse attitudes or approaches towards a phenomenon, crafting narratives based on interview excerpts, creating metaphors to encapsulate key insights, or visualizing findings using flow diagrams or charts (Kvale, 2007, p. 115).

The analysis commenced by establishing broad categories informed by the development of the interview guide. This guide was shaped by a comprehensive approach, incorporating preliminary visits to libraries in Hungary and Poland, a literature review, input from international experts on public libraries, information science, international migration and inclusion processes, as well as feedback from experienced librarians working with immigrants and refugees to ensure relevance and comprehensibility. This methodological rigour ensured the consideration of all relevant aspects of library services and professional roles. The categories encompassed Library Response Activities, User Needs and Services (including collection development and facilitation of trust) and Professional Role (including collaboration with other entities). While providing predetermined categories, the semi-structured interview technique allowed for additional points to be included, enhancing flexibility and adaptability.

The analysis of the interview transcripts began with a method akin to theoretical reading (Kvale, 2007, p. 117) by research group members, aimed at discerning approaches, activities and experiences related to the defined categories and determining the necessity of additional categories. This initial phase affirmed the relevance and adequacy of the established categories in covering the interview findings. The research team was divided into three groups corresponding to the interview guide sections. Researchers within each group were assigned questions from their section of the interview guide to review the text, identifying and quantifying activities, professional practices, service categories and/or collaborations for ad hoc analysis of the transcripts (Kvale, 2007, p. 115). This facilitated the identification of emergent trends, comparisons and pattern recognition. The findings from each group were compiled, with interview passages interspersed, allowing the interviews to speak for themselves while also serving to qualify or elaborate upon the quantified aspects. Lastly, the findings underwent a final round of review and discussion by the entire research team, enhancing trustworthiness and internal validity through peer validation and consensus-building.

Navigating chaos: the commencement of libraries’ response efforts

The interviewees in Poland and Hungary all reported that the situation became very chaotic at the beginning of the war due to the high number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in a very short time. Interviewees spoke about the need for quick decision-making regarding the actions to be taken and their role in local community response efforts. In one of the Polish libraries, the library’s response commenced even before the arrival of the people fleeing Ukraine:

As we learned there was a conflict, we started these activities by preparing to collect food, clothing, and first aid supplies at our institution, at the community center. . . And we planned it for Monday. The conflict started. I don’t remember; was it Thursday or Wednesday? It was all chaotic at the beginning because we didn’t know what it would look like because these people hadn’t reached us yet in those first days. . .already from Sunday, we started collecting all these necessary funds, materials, clothes. . .Everywhere, there were sorted clothes, sorted hygiene products, painkillers, and bandages because we didn’t know what we would actually be faced with.

Similarly, one of the Hungarian interviewees indicated an immediate support response:

In the beginning, we were involved, especially the first two or three or four days, we were making sandwiches day and night, because not only for those who were staying here but also for those who were going to the station, we took out packets of units, in which we made sandwiches, drinks, masks, hand sanitiser. We tried to put a little chocolate in each pack to give them energy.

Library employees also reflected that professional roles often merged with more personal desires to help. When asked if they had taken such measures before, one Polish interviewee stated, ‘No, not so much. It was probably the first situation of such total mobilization, the desire to also participate in these events and activities. Because we all felt angry. . . that in the 21st century, such a situation occurs’. Similarly, another Polish librarian described the deep emotions associated with the initial outreach efforts at a local train station, which placed library staff at the front lines of the response effort:

It’s hard to describe the emotions we experienced here in the beginning. . .because of the frightening sights, terrible stories, people crying, and being terrified. For example, I sat with children, and we were trying to draw something and the children, for instance, painted tanks and shelters from bombs because they had to sit in basements and wait for the shelling of the city to stop. . . It’s impossible to convey these emotions. So, looking at these needs, connecting with these people, and having a lot of empathy, we made decisions and asked if you needed anything.

Accordingly, most library response activities appeared to be based on spontaneous personal initiatives by library staff. All the interviews expressed that the library directors were highly committed to being involved in the broader community response efforts and that library staff were eager to help. As a Polish interviewee said: ‘We knew what we had to do, and we just did it. We wanted to help them’. A Hungarian interviewee also stated, ‘Nobody asked. What we started was entirely an internal initiative, but what got us started was the local solidarity actions, the twinning actions, which were essentially organized here in the city. There were and still are strong movements’.

Responding to evolving needs: the development of library services and programs

Two interviewees described a progression in the development of programmes and services for Ukrainian refugees at their libraries. As one Polish interviewee described:

In the beginning, it was known that it was mainly material needs and the need for shelter . . .then it was definitely housing and work. . .Later school, so ID numbers, how to enroll a child in school. . .And now I observe just such a solidification, such already a bit of normality, everyone to themselves. . .these needs are so standard, for example, to come to the library, to borrow a book. Also, now it has become so normal, there is not this chaos that we experienced in the beginning.

This appeared to be a common progression at many of the libraries. The initial responses by the interviewees’ libraries generally focussed on the refugees’ basic needs and information related to food, shelter and health, primarily mental health. Interviewees in both countries indicated that their libraries were heavily involved in collecting donations for refugees, such as clothing, strollers, food, hygiene products and household items. They provided information to community members about where and how to make donations. Polish interviewees noted that their libraries were involved in organizing support activities and served as information points for other organizations that were involved in support activities.

Many interviewees in both countries indicated that early in the response, their libraries made available information in Ukrainian about their services and offered the refugees access to computers and the Internet to find and obtain needed information, which was especially important in the beginning. The interviewees also said that printing and copying services were offered, as well as the possibility to charge digital devices such as phones and laptops. As one Hungarian interviewee described:

. . .especially in the beginning, they used the internet, they could connect to the wifi, and they could charge their phones because there were people who were stationed here for several days. And in the first few days, the [community center] served as a shelter. . .So they came to the library itself only if they wanted to ask for help, to get information on the internet, or to print, if they needed to print or to connect to helplines.

Similarly, the Polish interviewee also recollected the library’s role as an information provider:

My library reacted quickly. . .we were one. . .of the first institutions in the city that simply reacted in such a way that we are this public space, accessible, one that people have probably in every country [and] in some way [are] familiar with and so on, [that is] associated with information.

Interviewees in both Hungary and Poland said that their libraries created calm, welcoming spaces where the refugees could rest and relax, which they indicated was especially important in the beginning because many of the refugees were staying in very basic and crowded accommodations with limited privacy. Some interviewees even said that special relaxation rooms were created for the refugees. In one exceptional case, a Polish library located at a train station in a large city was temporarily closed to residents due to the high number of refugees arriving and needing assistance. They indicated that the library served as a daytime shelter for refugees, and a local art gallery served as a nighttime shelter. Some Polish libraries offered psychological help to the refugees, mainly to the children and, in some cases, the mothers, or the libraries provided information on how they could get such help elsewhere. This account from one of the Polish interviewees describes this initial response period:

The library. . .was a place where you could not only relax, but you could also get help from psychologists, you could photocopy and print the documents you needed, you could recharge your phone, use the computer. . . In the relaxation area, board games were available; there were lots of toys, colouring books, and blocks. We set up deck chairs and children’s cribs/strollers. Of course, we were already getting cribs/strollers from some organisation. . .Also in the station room on our floor is the [art exhibition space], and with their help, we created a cinema area for children.

Similarly, a Hungarian interviewee also reported the creation of a relaxing space for families:

We set up a room upstairs [in the community centre], an office for a baby waiting room, where parents could take the small babies and the older children upstairs and spend their time in a more cultured environment.

This progressed to assistance with finding jobs, enrolling in schools and obtaining identification, as one Polish interviewee noted:

The moment came to register Ukrainians on Polish territory. That is, ID cards had to be made. . .It was the municipal public library that took care of taking photos for the ID cards for all those people who lived in our municipality.. . .in parallel to these activities. . .we tried to help get jobs for parents. . .it was one phone call somewhere to some company, another phone call to a company. . .later it became more systematic. . .we were making a list of those interested in working in some larger institution, in some company that could simply hire these people.

Many of the Polish interviewees noted an early interest by those arriving from Ukraine in learning the language, as it is central to navigating daily life, workplace integration and school participation. They indicated that efforts to support language learning developed relatively quickly. As one Polish interviewee said:

The first thing is learning the language. . .we provided Ukrainians. . .materials for learning the language because it was very important for them to master the language to a degree, let’s say, satisfactory at the beginning so that they could communicate in Poland with Poles.

Reading, integration and support for Ukrainian culture and language quickly followed. Providing language education in the form of language cafes or as more traditional language education. Some libraries focus more on helping Ukrainian refugees and children, in particular, maintaining their cultural identity and mother tongue. It appears language education activities have been more common in Poland than in Hungary because quite many refugees coming to Hungary belong to a Hungarian minority from the western region of Ukraine close to the Hungarian border, and they already speak Hungarian. As one librarian noted:

The children who come to the library are all looking for storybooks and young people’s books; they all have the same interests. I can’t tell the difference. . .Those who stayed in [city name] are Hungarian; at least they speak Hungarian. I don’t usually ask how Ukrainian they are or how Hungarian they are; they are typically from areas with a Hungarian population.

The interviewees generally reported that the arrival of refugees did not significantly change the needs of local library users, and some indicated that service provision continued as usual. However, two interviewees, one from Hungary and one from Poland, mentioned that the community members who hosted Ukrainian refugees in their homes needed information about how to obtain ID cards, how to enrol children in school and other information about various practical issues; all of which required new or different routines than under normal circumstances. One Hungarian interviewee noted that reference questions emerged in the children’s department about how to explain war and the situation in Ukraine to children.

Identifying new user groups and their needs: A dynamic process

The Polish and two Hungarian interviewees initially saw all Ukrainian refugees as one group with everyday needs. However, most interviewees subsequently talked about specific user groups, including mothers, families with small children, single-parent families and Ukrainian children aged 5–10. As one Polish librarian reflected:

I can’t single out because we really have people of all ages coming to sign up. We even have 70+ people who come regularly, reading. Mothers with children come, with families who have lived here in [city name] for many years, so it’s hard to somehow distinguish a specific age group. But I perceive such a trend that reading is very popular among young people. Young people often come to borrow books, they ask about various events and mothers ask if there are any events for children. So, if it’s a question of singling out a certain group, I would say it is the youth and children.

Accordingly, about two-thirds of the interviewees, mainly Polish, emphasized the importance of Ukrainian children aged 5–10 as a distinct user group for library activities. One Hungarian interviewee identified Ukrainian children aged 10–16 as a separate user group, noting that only those aged 10–12 borrowed books. Some Polish interviewees identified school-age children using the library for online learning as a user group. Three of the Polish interviewees noted that Ukrainian youth aged 15–18 seemed not to use their libraries, while one interviewee considered them a specific user group.

Other user groups were occasionally mentioned in the interviews, including remote workers, adults learning Polish or Hungarian, organized groups of small children and individual readers looking for books. Four Polish interviewees mentioned Ukrainian seniors (grandparents, 50+) as a user group. There was no mention of minority groups from Ukraine using the libraries.

Interviewees employed various methods to discern the needs of Ukrainian refugees. More than half directly gathered information from these library users, and one interviewee noted their openness, stating that ‘they are not very shy people’. About a quarter relied on library staff for insights, and in Poland, a quarter received valuable input from Ukrainian volunteer psychologists working within the libraries. Additionally, three informants derived information from refugee reception points. Two interviewees acquired data from surveys conducted in collaboration with NGOs; one drew from prior experiences with other groups, and another obtained insights from contacts at local schools concerning the specific needs of the Ukrainian children.

Maintaining a balance between addressing the needs of refugees as a new user group and those of the local community appeared largely unproblematic for most libraries. Hungarian interviewees attributed this to the relatively low number of Ukrainian refugees, as many simply travelled to other countries, preventing significant competition for local services. As one Hungarian librarian explained, ‘We were just a transit country for refugees’. Furthermore, as one interviewee noted previously concerning children’s books, many of the refugees who stayed had a Hungarian background, making it difficult to determine if people were refugees or not, as they appeared like any other library user. Another Hungarian interviewee emphasized that services to the refugees posed no issue since local library users could continue using the library as usual. Similarly, other Hungarian interviewees asserted that they did not distinguish between services for refugees and the local community, highlighting the library as a universal service accessible to everyone.

Polish interviewees reported that the provision of services to the incoming refugees was generally accepted. One interviewee specifically mentioned that achieving a balance was not problematic due to the local community’s eagerness to help and get involved. Two other interviewees from Poland reported that the local community generally accepted the arrival of the refugees as an exceptional situation. Moreover, an interviewee in Poland and one in Hungary noted that the local community expressed positive sentiments regarding the libraries’ increased efforts to serve the refugees. However, it is worth noting that a couple of isolated incidents in Polish libraries involved negative expressions from community members who felt that everything was geared towards the Ukrainians.

Trends in programming and services

Polish libraries demonstrate a greater provision of programmes and services associated with long-term settlement support, including language learning assistance, psychological support, clothing donations and other necessities such as household items, as well as settlement assistance related to finding jobs and accommodation (Figure 6). Interestingly, Hungarian libraries appear to have coordinated financial support to a greater extent than Polish libraries, possibly reflecting the needs of transient refugees. Despite these differences, both Hungarian and Polish libraries exhibit equally high levels of programming and activities for children, a primary user group coming from Ukraine. However, while these findings partly corroborate previous interview findings, they should be viewed as preliminary, reflecting only the aspects deemed important by the interviewees and may lack exactness or nuance.

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Figure 6.

Programmes and services provided by Polish and Hungarian public libraries to Ukrainian refugees.

Collection development: Navigating disrupted distribution channels and linguistic taboos

After the onset of the war, the Ukrainian book market faced significant challenges as normal distribution channels were disrupted before stabilizing somewhat when Ukrainian publishers relocated to Poland. In the initial upheaval, competition intensified, presenting hurdles for libraries to obtain Ukrainian language materials (Olson, 2022). Nevertheless, most Hungarian and Polish interviewees mentioned that their libraries acquired new materials in response to the Ukrainian refugees’ arrival. Despite small pre-existing collections, all libraries displayed materials in Ukrainian. Many appealed for book donations, emphasizing the importance of children’s books for those enrolled in local schools to aid language learning. Interviewees emphasized providing Ukrainian materials to support families’ aspirations of returning to Ukraine when possible.

Polish interviewees quickly acquired children’s books for libraries due to their accessibility and high demand, with materials for adults proving more challenging to obtain. One library reported no acquisitions for adults. Print materials were universally preferred over digital, although some libraries acquired e-books and audiobooks (e.g. via Legimi and Empik). However, two libraries reported no digital acquisitions. Polish interviewees also mentioned acquiring activity books, games and non-traditional materials for libraries. Acquisition methods varied from traditional avenues, such as the library system, to unconventional approaches, including obtaining books from a Ukrainian bookstore through local contacts. Donations, both material and financial, were received through organizations, project collaborations, publishers and local community members. One interviewee explained the dynamic acquisition approach, saying:

We started covering books very quickly. . .wherever information appeared that you could get books in Ukrainian, we acquired them. We also acquired them through slightly less formal channels, in the sense that, for example - people who were here, for example, when someone from the family went there, no?

Conversely, half of the Hungarian interviewees acquired little or no Ukrainian materials due to the few Ukrainian-speaking refugees staying in Hungary. Libraries that did acquire materials took diverse approaches, expanding existing collections through purchases and donations. Some received Ukrainian literature donations from the national library, a publisher and a Ukrainian organization. The central library in one city increased Ukrainian language book purchases, and libraries shared materials within systems to meet demand. Similar to Poland, Hungarian libraries focussed primarily on printed materials and children’s materials. Lastly, in Hungary, one library organized online Hungarian language support in response to a request from the Hungarian reading society.

Many Hungarian and Polish libraries had small collections of Russian literature, attracting refugees from Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine. However, the focus of library staff was on expanding Ukrainian collections rather than Russian. Six interviewees observed that refugees, even if they spoke Russian, preferred not to use it anymore. Some Polish interviewees noted a growing avoidance or ‘taboo’ around the use of Russian, unlike Hungarian interviewees. Libraries also offered materials in other languages spoken by Ukrainians, including English collections in Poland. Ukrainian users’ language needs and preferences were described by one of the Polish interviewees concerning the development of their Ukrainian collection:

We have most of the books in Ukrainian precisely because we have had Ukrainian books since 2017, and this book collection has grown. . .we also have books in Russian. Much less, maybe up to 40 copies or less there. . .Users from Ukraine after February 24 rather prefer books only in Ukrainian, Polish, or English, God forbid in Russian. But, of course, there are users who read in Russian because they have been speaking this language since childhood, and for them, it is easier to read.

Similarly, a Hungarian interviewee noted:

There is a foreign language document service in the [branch name] foreign language library. These are mostly books. There is a Russian-language weekly newspaper, which they were happy to rotate, but it also said that Ukrainians were not so keen to read it, because it contained plenty of Russian state propaganda.

Transferring trust: From one library to the next

The general impression of the Polish interviewees is that the Ukrainian refugees had a high level of trust in the library. However, one interviewee emphasized that they had not directly asked the refugees about this. Nevertheless, trust appears to be manifested differently by children and adults, and the mechanisms creating trust seem to be varied. The impression from a Polish interviewee in a large city is that the refugees transferred their trust in Ukrainian libraries to Polish libraries. Another Polish interviewee observed very high trust levels, and reflected, ‘I think that here we are friends. I mean we are good friends. Because here we have formed some such connections between people, and they appreciate that this is how it is. . .it all comes from the heart. . .Anyway, we never treat anyone, even our residents [better] - everyone is treated equally’. An interviewee at another Polish library suggested that the help and openness that libraries have provided ‘in various such very important matters related to the functioning or at least this contact [the contact is the help provided by the library], that they [the refugees] also have quite a lot of trust’. But the impression is that trust is highest among adults who accompany children to the library and are drawn in: ‘It’s so that if the child wants to be there, the parent is willing then to come too’. At yet another Polish library it was observed that children are less quiet and become more confident with time.

Three Hungarian interviewees noted that their general impression is that the refugees from Ukraine are treated and behaving as local Hungarian users. However, several of the libraries have had few Ukrainian visitors. One interviewee described the refugees visiting the library as grateful and open, happy with the library as a place to come, and that Ukrainian books are available. An interviewee at another library emphasized that the children’s programmes were successful and also so was obtaining trust from the children library users, even though there have been difficulties communicating with them due to language barriers.

Libraries for all: Solidification, intensification and continuity in library roles

The interviewees indicated that they adopted various methods to learn how to work with refugees, including training. Most of the Polish interviewees indicated that their libraries participated in external training organized as part of larger projects like ‘Library for Everyone’ and ‘Library for All’, and, in one case, organized by the regional government. These training sessions covered methods for including minority groups, psychological consultations on working with traumatized people, as well as methods for working with children. Internal training was less common but also occurred.

The interviewees also sought support for communication, cataloguing books using the Cyrillic alphabet and other skills within their teams or external working groups. They drew on each other’s competencies and provided instructions. Some competencies, particularly language skills, were self-taught. They also highlighted gaining competencies through contacts and conversations with refugees from Ukraine. Thus, individuals using library services supported the competencies of those providing these services.

When asked if they had taken on new roles or competencies, many of the interviewees’ responses indicated that the work related to the library’s core social mission. One Polish interviewee, a library director, stated, ‘No, because we have such a mission that the library is a place for everyone who wants to use it, and we treat these people [Ukrainian refugees] as new readers. In this respect, absolutely not, though I certainly learned a lot’, while another Polish interviewee stated, ‘We’ve always had this sense of helping others, and it’s further solidified. . . maybe in this way - it’s solidified that what we’re doing, the way we’re doing it, is right’.. A Hungarian librarian even stated:

I don’t think I have learned anything new. We’ve helped where we needed to. But there are people in the [local] area who need help, and we help them where we can. It is common practice here to involve the library in social assistance.

A few of the interviewees indicated that national-level refugee and asylum policies or guidelines did not influence their library’s practice. The following statement from a Hungarian interviewee generally sums up the answers:

To be honest, we did not perceive much national policy. The ministry had no vision. The national library tried to collect good practices on how to care for refugees, but that initiative didn’t really succeed either. The libraries were rather trying to come up with something in their own communities, I don’t really remember any central guidance.

One Polish interviewee expressed frustration about the library not receiving any guidance. Another Polish interviewee agreed that national policies or guidelines were lacking but noted that the local government played an important role from the start in organizing local response efforts. However, a Polish interviewee noted the broader influence of the political climate rather than specific policies:

A lot depends, I would say, on regional politics, then surely this favor of the authorities allowed us to open up, because if we felt that the authorities were hostile to refugees, then perhaps we would not have opened up so far. We were concerned that our organiser might be displeased, thinking that we were dedicating our time to others and neglecting the local community. And the mission of our business is really to be friendly and provide a full range of services to that local community first and foremost.

Building networks and collaborations: Interactions between library professionals and community organizations

Interviewees also highlighted a lack of support from formal professional networks despite some libraries receiving Ukrainian materials through such channels. One Hungarian interviewee expressed a proactive approach, stating, ‘I’m the kind of person who always asks if there are professional guidelines to follow’. However, many library professionals reported limited time for guideline considerations due to increased workloads and additional duties, particularly in the first month following the outbreak of the war.

Interviewees indicated reliance on informal networks for support, with a Polish interviewee emphasizing communication through Facebook groups, such as ‘The Initiative Group’, where library directors discussed issues related to the arrival of refugees. Some interviewees found support and experience exchange within the local community more beneficial. At the war’s outset, a library director mentioned networking with local friends and later engaging in informal meetings with directors from various local public institutions, emphasizing the value of exchanging experiences and mutual assistance in the face of the war’s impact on all institutions.

The interviewees in both countries reported extensive collaboration with diverse community organizations as well as local governments. Overall, the majority of collaborations were established early on in the response efforts, with some later on as the refugees were becoming more settled in the communities. Polish libraries collaborated with local authorities, public service institutions and various non-governmental organizations, providing support for community initiatives, including the cycling tourism association, ethnic minority organizations, and the Baptist church. Respondents also mentioned partnerships with national NGOs such as the Polish Red Cross and the Polish Migration Forum. Some libraries participated in the ‘Library for All. Different. Equal. Important’ programme organized by Save the Children, managed in Poland by the Information Society Development Foundation.

Hungarian libraries reported similar collaborations. Nearly all respondents mentioned local authorities and various local organizations (e.g. Family Support Service, Goethe Institute), as well as ethnic minorities’ local governments. Respondents mentioned both national NGOs (e.g. Hungarian Red Cross) and local ones (e.g. Back to the Wilderness Foundation; Noha Vilja Association). Other partnerships were also mentioned, including schools, the Baptist church, the local zoo and a swimming pool.