"10 Reasons You Need Your Public Library"

My coworker passed this post onto me.  I thought it was well done and useful.  I often find myself in the position of defending the existence and funding of libraries.  So many people feel that with the current and ongoing evolution of the internet, libraries are irrelevant.  The post gives 10 reasons why we are important - even necessary - to a healthy community. 

This post is from the Jackson County Library System blog.  In case you haven't heard, this is the system in Oregon that will be shut down indefinitely in April due to lack of funding.  The idea that a large library system, with 15 branches, could be forced to close is sad and sobering.  Their funding issues are involved, but this is a good slap in the face as to the reality of things...libraries are not constants.  We (those of us who are in the profession) have to be passionate. We have to fight.  If we aren't and we won't, how can we expect our patrons to feel any differently?

Last updated: January 19, 2007 - 11:46am by anna

Not Constants
Comment by: dylan; January 20, 2007 - 10:42am
"...libraries are not constants." You hit the nail on the head, Anna! The sooner that we, librarians and library support staff and trustees and library users, not only acknowledge but furthermore embrace this reality, the better of we will be. Libraries are not constants, and therefore, should not be constant. We must be willing to adapt and change, whether that means incorporating new technology or developing new customer service strategies. The list of ten reasons is a great start -- but it's only a start. What are we doing to make ourselves memorable to our users? What are we doing to make ourselves invaluable to them?

To be honest, I tend to
Comment by: Portland personal injury lawyer (not verified); January 15, 2009 - 2:07pm
To be honest, I tend to think the social utility of libraries is really three fold: 1) a place for people to use the internet for free who otherwise wouldn't have access; 2) a quiet place for people to read/study because I don't think Starbucks should be the only place you should be able to sit down quietly and read; 3) a place to read books because not every book or piece of info is freely available on the internet. That said, libraries need to be very mindful of what's happening with the internet to ensure they're complimenting it, not being redundant with it.

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