What Is The Role Of A Library In A Community

[Barton Ostby]

Severalthings are necessary for a particular place to play this role. Location and accessibility are important, of course. But so are trust and a sense of neutrality; they are usually the keys to success, whether the place is a house of worship, a family-owned diner, or a barbershop.

Other sectors, such as health care, increasingly see public libraries as a critical link to a community. For instance, the National Library of Medicine is helping local librarians to be more effective local navigators by regularly hosting webinars and training sessions for local librarians on how to navigate social services, aging, mental health, welfare and public assistance, housing resources, health care, and education and employment resources.

Many libraries have become front-line institutions in addressing the needs of the homeless. For instance, the Dallas Public Library in 2013 launched a Homeless Engagement Initiative. The emphasis is on making all library visitors feel welcome. The library runs a Homeless Engagement and Leadership Program (HELP) Desk where customers can obtain one-on-one assistance with job applications and resumes, food and housing referrals, legal aid, and library music and arts programs.

Libraries focus on a wide range of populations with particular needs, including seniors, veterans, and immigrants. The Hartford Public Library in Connecticut, for instance, has created The American Place (TAP), a free program that supports and assists new immigrants acclimate to their new city. TAP partners with community leaders and organizations to provide employment services, English as a new language classes, legal orientation programs, Know-Your-Rights forums, and referrals to other services, in five different languages. Meanwhile the Queens Borough Public Library in New York, has partnered with the Queens Health Network, the largest healthcare provider in the area, to design health-related and community-centered programming targeting the needs of its immigrant populations.

Today's libraries are more than just books. From teaching critical literacy skills to promoting entrepreneurship and small business development to preserving and facilitating our community stories, an easier question might be what don't libraries do! Check out some examples of what libraries of all types are doing for their communities.

Libraries level the playing field. As great democratic institutions, they serve people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, and physical ability, and provide the full range of information resources needed to live, learn, govern, and work.

EXAMPLE: Pottsboro Area Library in Texas placed a trailer with a Wi-Fi hotspot (pictured) in the parking lot of a local hotel through a partnership with Gigabit Libraries and the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center. The hotel is outside Pottsboro city limits, and many of the residents living in apartments nearby lack home internet access, either for economic reasons or due to a lack of broadband infrastructure.

Libraries are community hubs. They connect people to information and connect people to people. They are safe havens for kids, providing after-school homework help, games, and book clubs. They offer computer classes, allowing older adults to stay engaged in a digital world. And library bookmobiles and community outreach programs help those living in remote areas and those who are home bound to remain connected to the world.

For many, library resources are an accessible way to explore entrepreneurship, build skills, and gather information that can be used to launch a new business idea, investigate a new way to earn income and make a living, or even get started with a new hobby to make extra money. Libraries offer a low-barrier way to learn and test out ideas without investing a lot up front. For some of the smallest enterprises, such as micropreneurs and solopreneurs, this is crucial.

In fact, almost 1 in 2 libraries in the US provide free services to entrepreneurs who wish to start and grow their business.1 This ranges from offering free access to market trends databases to hosting business coaching classes, providing incubation space, and in some cases, providing seed capital through business plan competitions.

Libraries are committed to helping children and adults develop the skills needed to survive and thrive in a global information society. The ability to read and use computers are at the forefront of these skills.

The implications of these statistics are alarming. Many adults cannot identify a specific location on a map, complete a job application or an insurance form, understand the instructions on a medicine bottle, or effectively help their children with homework. With a long tradition of providing resources and services for individuals who want to improve their reading and writing skills, libraries are committed to helping people enhance and improve their learning literacy skills to live a fuller life.

Freedom of information is fundamental to the American way of life, and it sets us apart from many countries. Libraries and librarians are committed to preserving the freedom to read to enhance learning and to ensure access to information for all.

Libraries manifest the promises of the First Amendment by making available the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas, so that every person has the opportunity to freely read and consider information and ideas, regardless of their content or the viewpoint of the author. Librarians are trained to curate collections that serve the information needs of everyone in their community.

Libraries across the country are currently experiencing an unprecedented spike in censorship attempts with a focus on books that address the voices and lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

The American Library Association documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number in more than two decades. Censors targeted 2,571 unique titles in 2022, and of those titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

If the idea of libraries as frontline responders in the opioid crisis sounds far-fetched, look no further than the Denver Public Library. In February 2017, a twenty-five-year-old man suffered a fatal overdose in one of its bathrooms. That prompted the library to lay in a supply of Narcan, a drug used to counteract opioid overdoses. Other libraries, including the San Francisco Public Library, have followed suit and begun to stock the life-saving drug.

To keep up with changing technology and user expectations, public libraries have invested in more computer terminals and Wi-Fi capability. They have upgraded and expanded facilities to provide more outlets, meeting rooms, study spaces, and seating that patrons can use for extended periods of time as they take advantage of free Wi-Fi.

In 2018, NEH launched a new program for Infrastructure and Capacity-Building Challenge Grants to support brick-and-mortar library projects as well as other efforts to strengthen the institutional base for the humanities in America. For example, the Hartford Public Library in Michigan received a 2019 NEH grant of $400,000 to construct a new library and community center, making available cultural and educational resources for the southwest area of the state.

With an NEH grant of $315,000, the University of California, San Francisco, Library, collaborating with San Francisco Public Library and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society, will digitize 150,000 pages from 49 archival collections related to the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the Bay Area and make them accessible online.

Since 1970, the American Library Association has received 66 NEH grants, totaling $32,006,701 for projects ranging from bookshelf programs such as Muslim Journeys to traveling exhibits on topics such as the Dust Bowl and the African-American baseball experience, to reading and discussion series such as the Federal Writers Project and the Columbian Quincentenary. In 2018, ALA received an NEH grant of $397,255 to conduct the Great Stories Club, a nationwide program for at-risk teens on themes of empathy, heroism, and marginalization.

Library workers promote public health and well-being while also being purveyors of information, and they strive to better communities by building library programs and initiatives to address local needs.

But they are also leaders within the community, recognizing its needs and striving to find resources such as library grants and other funding to implement solutions. Many do this with no formal leadership training or professional business experience.

Library staffers also serve as social workers. Many times, a librarian is the first point of contact for community members experiencing homelessness or struggling with addiction. They seek ways to demonstrate compassion and connect these individuals with traditional and online services to help them get back on their feet.

From story times for young children to summer reading programs for elementary-school students and computer-skills classes for seniors, a public library offers a variety of educational programs for patrons of all ages, many of which are designed to improve literacy rates.

A librarian is often responsible for developing the curricula for these programs, selecting materials, and even teaching the classes. They also serve as research assistants, helping library patrons find reliable information for school papers or work projects.

"Small business is big business in America," the ALA notes, "and libraries are making an investment in their future" by supporting small businesses and budding entrepreneurs with everything from pop-up

marketplaces to intellectual property and patent guidance.

Libraries support diversity by helping new immigrants become citizens, for instance, and by acting as inclusive spaces for community celebration. A large number of libraries host cultural workshops and programs that showcase the traditions, art, music and literature of various cultures. Invite local artists, authors and performers from different backgrounds to participate.

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