Herb Landau is a self-proclaimed "born-again librarian."

After tackling the corporate world for several years, he returned in 2002 to his true professional love and became the director of Milanof-Schock Library in Mount Joy.

During his seven-year tenure there, Landau saw the small suburban facility flourish as it became somewhat of a community center, offering programs for people of all ages and serving as a place "where anyone could go and be relaxed and just be themselves," he said.

Beginning Monday, Landau will put that philosophy to use in an urban and much larger setting as he assumes the post of executive director of Lancaster Public Library.

In addition to the North Duke Street library, Lancaster Public Library operates branches in Leola and Mountville, serving 40 percent of the county's population.

Earlier this week, Landau expressed excitement about what lies ahead in this new chapter of his life.

"I love helping people, which is what attracts me to this job so much," the Manhattan native said. "This (position) just gives me the opportunity to do that in a greater sense, and really there are a lot of people who need that help right now."

Landau said he arrived at the downtown library on a recent morning and was amazed to find people lined up outside and waiting for the doors to open.

Many of them, he said, were eager to use the library's computers to access the Internet in search of jobs, financial assistance and social services.

Some of them, he said, set up shop daily and use the library as their office.

Landau said he wishes more people felt so at home at the library, and he has made that a goal as he enters his new endeavor.

"I want to get people involved," he said, "whether as volunteers, taking part in programs or simply becoming better acquainted with what we have to offer as far as resources. This is their library, and I want them to feel at home here."

One way to do that, Landau said, is by broadening the range of programs offered by the library.

Asked about specific ideas, Landau said he would like to first find out what types of things the community would be interested in.

He said the diversity of the city provides for some unique educational opportunities.

A program at Milanof-Schock called Culture and Cooking was wildly successful in bringing together people from different backgrounds, Landau said.

Each month featured a speaker who had immigrated here from another country. The person would talk about his or her culture and prepare a native dish.

"We had speakers from Vietnam, Bolivia, El Salvador — most times at the end of the programs you realize maybe you're not so different after all," Landau said. "It was a great way to bridge that separation and unite as neighbors.

"Seeing as we have a real melting pot here in the city, I think that could be a great way to strengthen relationships within the community."

But community relationships aren't the only things Landau seeks to build. He's also focused on the financial security of the library.

At Milanof-Schock, Landau led successful fundraising efforts — including securing a $40,000 Library Services and Technology Act Grant, which allowed the library to purchase 20 new computers for educational programs — that increased the income of the library fourfold, he said.

Because of that financial success, American Library Association tapped Landau to write a book about how to win library grants.

"I have every expectation we can do the same thing here," he said.

Landau, who previously worked as CEO of four publishing companies and managed business libraries at AT&T's Bell Labs and the Solar Energy Research Institute, said the Lancaster library might well be his "last stop."

"But who knows. I never look that far ahead."

jtodd@lnpnews.com