Why Libraries Matter

I'm going to venture away from the topic of writing this week to share about another issue close to my heart. As many of you know, I'm currently in Graduate School earning my Masters Degree in Library and Information Science. When I share with people that I'm in library school, many times I get the reaction, "Will there even be a need for libraries in the future?"

I am at the library right now as I write this, and the place is full of people at 7:30 pm on a Wednesday night in the summer. There are 11 branches in our county library system, and we have visited many this summer to take advantage of their great free children's programming and the Summer Reading Program. So I know that here in the suburbs of Texas, the libraries are getting a lot of use.

But what about other places in the country? Are libraries needed there? I think the first thing people need to realize is that libraries offer so much more than books. Books are important, of course, and are what initially led me to pursue my dream of being a librarian. However, they are only a portion of the resources and opportunities that libraries provide.

I recently saw this video which I really think emphasizes the importance of libraries, perhaps more than ever in this day and age. I found the link under #librariesmatter on twitter. I'm not actually on twitter myself, but you can still read twitter even if you don't have an account.

Here is a video produced by Julie Dressner and Jesse Hicks about the services offered through the New York Library System. The link is from The Atlantic and takes about 10 minutes to watch (and does have one of those annoying commercials beforehand), but I believe it is well worth your time. It should help you respond if someone ever mentions that libraries aren't relevant in today's society. I think it shows that couldn't be farther from the truth. Enjoy!

If you can't see the video below on your browser, here's the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/371084/why-libraries-matter/