Tracy Strobel has worked in Ohio’s public libraries for 30 years, including two decades in high-level positions at Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL). Earlier this month, she announced she will retire in June as the library system’s CEO.
In her time with CCPL, the soon-to-be-retired chief executive officer has worked tirelessly to change how libraries are perceived.
No longer just “warehouses for books,” libraries have evolved into welcoming spaces prioritizing lifelong learning, community engagement, and even mental health support.
“There’s that preconceived notion of what a library provides, so let’s expand that notion,” says Strobel. “I wish I had a dollar for every person who said, ‘I didn’t know the library did that.’ So we had to put the word out through all avenues and advertise those services.”
Strobel joined CCPL as deputy director in 2005, a job she held until being named CEO in 2019. After successfully leading the library system's integration of high-speed internet and other advancements, Strobel was thrust into the world of outreach, donor relations, and government affairs. It was a challenging transition requiring the oversight of a capital improvement program that saw the replacement of 12 of CCPL’s 27 branches.
Tracy Strobel, speaking at a 2022 Writers Center Stage event.Setting a direction for CCPL also involved creating a more sustainable pace of change, Strobel notes. In 2013, the library network opened six new buildings—a rapid expansion that could have overwhelmed system resources. After the marathon of the 2013 openings, Strobel suggested perhaps slow-and-steady was a better approach.
“Instead of opening six buildings a year, let’s open one building and do it in a more measured way,” recalls Strobel. “Change had come so fast, so I worked to establish something more predictable and stable.”
Even as retirement looms, Strobel's work in opening new libraries is not yet complete—CCPL is on track to open new branches in Beachwood and Parma Heights within the next two years to replace the existing outdated current branches in the cities.
“Cuyahoga County Public Library is an outstanding organization,” Strobel said in a Jan. 6 press release. “I am proud of what has been accomplished through the combined work of our trustees, staff, community members, supporters, private and public partners, and donors. I see only more opportunities for continued success in the years ahead.”
High-tech and high-touch
Library technology has undergone a dramatic transformation with the introduction of online catalogs, self-checkout kiosks, and Wi-Fi and computer access becoming essential services for patrons.
Under Strobel's watch, CCPL has prioritized innovation and technology around program development. For instance, a merger with nonprofit organizations Project Learn and Parma A.B.L.E. led to Aspire Greater Cleveland, which now delivers free GED and HSE high school equivalency, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and basic skills classes at Cuyahoga County Public Library branches throughout the county.
Strobel also partnered with The Centers—a Cleveland health and wellness nonprofit—to establish the Debra Ann November Early Learning Center (ELC) inside CCPL’s Maple Heights Branch. Children enrolled in ELC programming also benefit from regular library services—a trend slated to continue this year with the opening of a ELC in the new Parma Heights Branch.
Improving system efficiencies while integrating cutting-edge technologies are additional highlights of Strobel’s tenure. CCPL was an early adopter of floating collections—a model where materials circulate between various locations instead of being permanently housed at a single branch.
Passport services, self-checkout, and online program registration also became the norm with Strobel in charge.
Though these services are critical, a bit sexier are area innovation centers that provide access to advanced software and production equipment. Similar to collaborative makerspaces, CCPL’s centers boast emerging technologies such as 3D printers and waterjet cutters.
However, a high-tech environment must still be accessible to everyone, stresses Strobel. To that end, on-site “digital navigators” help visitors create resumes or join telehealth calls, while Wi-Fi hotspots are available throughout the system for guests.
“It’s a lot about finding balance between high-tech and high-touch,” says Strobel. “Yes, we have innovative services, but we still embrace traditional services as well. We became more thoughtful about what we were bringing in instead of just chasing shiny things.”
‘Be kind, be brave’
Strobel, a Bath Township native, earned her master’s in library science from the State University of New York at Albany. During her high school years in the 1980s, she was the friend that peers relied on for research assistance, she says.
“I was the go-to person for getting resources to write papers,” Strobel says. “Researching for me was like a treasure hunt. I was like, ‘Wow, I could get paid to do this.’”
Strobel, right, at the groundbreaking of the new Parma Heights Branch in 2024Strobel envisioned herself creating research guides and cataloguing vital papers as a government documents librarian. With no jobs available, Strobel spent time in temporary jobs and learning about personal computing during the internet’s infancy.
Joining Medina County District Library during the mid-1990s, she championed digital services in a sector known for slow technological adoption. As deputy director at CCPL, Strobel gained additional administrative duties outside of IT, learning the ropes under then-executive director Sari Feldman.
“I was previously focused on digital services, so this was quite the leap,” recalls Strobel. “[In Medina], I had one direct report. But when I came to CCPL, I went from one report to 500 falling within my departments.”
Moving into the CEO role from an internally-focused position proved to be another adjustment, though Feldman’s tutelage assisted with the changeover, Strobel says. She also became active on national committees—advising on library technology and professional development.
In 2024, Strobel accepted a Library of Congress Literacy Award on behalf of CCPL. The award recognized the system for its “exemplary, innovative, and replicable strategies” to promote literacy and reading within Cuyahoga County.
Strobel expects to do more reading during retirement, mostly literary fiction, she says, with a dash of memoir.
While not having achieved all her goals, she departs CCPL with no regrets, she says, recognizing the system's need for new perspectives. Strobel also has advice for her yet-to-be-chosen successor.
“It’s the same advice I give to my teens: Be kind, and be brave,” she says. “The job is about building relationships and trusting [that] I have the system’s best interests at heart. You have to be a good listener, or else people won’t be interested in following your lead.”