“Libraries are essential to success and progress in the digital age.”
Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries
“A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival.
They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination.”
~Caitlin Moran
Libraries: Cathedrals of Our Souls
Are you one of those people who think we don’t need libraries anymore now that we have Google? There is still a great deal of information that is not online, not findable through Google or not free through Google.
It is true that we need less room for book shelves, but libraries are so much more than that!
And yes, people have access to information on their phones, but it is often difficult to find quality information. It is more important than ever that libraries help people with information literacy and digital literacy.
Libraries, especially public libraries, have noble roots that were instrumental to our democracy. When the Carnegie public libraries were being built, the goal was to provide access to information for the poor and for immigrants so that people could improve their lives. And we still do this. It is still important.
In addition, we stand for intellectual freedom and this is still important as well.
Furthermore, with new tools, there are new directions we can go. We can help people use information in new ways and create in new formats. We can provide collaborative workspaces and makerspaces for our communities.
Libraries do need to evolve with the changing times. Libraries need to serve their communities well. Libraries need to show we provide value.
Libraries can have a great future.
Further Reading