As the economy slumps, more and more people are discovering their local library and all it has to offer. Whether you want to learn new job skills, need a place to entertain your kids, or are searching to lose yourself in the latest hot book or video, your local library branch likely has something for you.
Library Systems throughout the country are getting creative to entice visitors. In Voorhees, NJ, the library offers a Superhero Smackdown to delight the little ones. Kids can come dressed as their favorite superhero and can make a cape and a mask. Talk to your local branch to find out if they have a similar program. This particular library has also opened a center aimed solely at teens with state of the art electronic equipment, graffiti walls, and diner style seating. Other libraries are wooing teens with lock-in nights in which they spend the night in the library listening to music, playing video games, munching on snacks, and enjoying their friends.
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Town libraries house tens of thousands of books, in relatively convenient locations not far from my home or yours. The New York Public Library system offers about 60 million items (books, videotapes, maps, etc.), over 20 million of these are books. That’s a lot of items which requires a substantial brick and mortar infrastructure and associated staff (counting inventory must be a killer!). According to Wikipedia, “Due to the current 2009 economic crisis, NYPL is facing a $23.2 million funding cut when the new fiscal year begins July 1. This will result in the expected elimination of 465 jobs, and in sharply scaled back branch operating hours.” That’s what happens when your budget exceeds $300 million dollars each year and the city and state government is running at a deficit.
But there is a solution. As all of this printed material and video morphs to digital, why would we need these items to reside in a physical library? Does the model make sense anymore? Will continued pressure on government to reduce expenses change the way we think about and use libraries? Are libraries, like the US Post Office, relics of a bygone era that need to be completely reassessed and modernized? Could we take a fraction of this expense and provide every student in America a Kindle or iPad?
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There are public library users of all levels: avid, frequent, sporadic, and absent. This article is for those who forget to use their local library system or don’t even have a library card. It is especially for those who have children or who want to be or are in business.
Public libraries are a treasure trove of free, already paid for, information and entertainment services. Here are some benefits that hopefully will rouse you to visit your public library to get a card if you don’t have one and to remember to use it. At a public library you can find:
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