In honor of National Library Week (April 6th-April 12th), I want to take a moment to tell you all that libraries are not only places to find books and movies. (Although, I’m not gonna downplay that. It’s so much free material and all you need to access it is a library card. That’s priceless in today’s economy).
You can find so many free resources at your local library. Almost all of them have access to computers and free public wi-fi. They offer cheap printing services and meeting rooms that anyone can book (be it small study groups or larger nonprofit events). They also have a multitude of online resources: from databases to help you with research projects to genealogy services to help you investigate family histories to sites that can provide learning and skills training to bump up your resume. There’s so much to offer and you don’t even need a library card to access all of it (but why not, right?).
There’s another aspect to libraries. One that I don’t think is highlighted enough in public discussions about their importance: libraries are essential community spaces. Many libraries across the United States (across the world even) host free events to address the needs of their communities and to promote literacy programming. My local branch hosts Storytimes to encourage early literacy in children while also offering parents a place to connect with one another. It also offers Legislative Coffee events to allow constituents a chance to connect with their elected officials. There’s book groups, board game meet-ups, along with a host of writing groups and special speaker events. And that’s just scratching the surface of how libraries offer spaces for communities to build connections from within.
With the recent slash-happy approach to spending championed by the current US administration, I think it’s increasingly important to highlight and advocate for the institutions that are essential for the health of our communities. Rather than merely assessing worth through spreadsheets and perceived “waste,” we need to be thoughtful about the impact they have on people’s lives. This goes beyond libraries. This goes for every social program that we’ve taken for granted until now.
But let’s get back to libraries, in particular. They’ve been very important to me throughout my life. When my family moved from one state to another around the time I started middle school, one of the first things my parents did was get me my own library card. That access gave the overactive imagination of an 11-year-old me something to preoccupy myself with as I settled into the transition. Libraries were places I hung out with my friends and where I fed my rabid and varied interests over the years.
In celebration of National Library Week, I urge you all to support your local branch by picking up your next book, movie, or video game obsession. Investigate all the resources your local library has to offer through its website.
