Library Chat: A long list of services provided at the library

By Medicine Hat News on May 11, 2018.

In my last column I asked “what is a library?” and answered “a free and open and friendly space for everyone that supports learning, culture, entertainment and community connections.” That sounds noble but a little vague. How exactly do libraries meet that lofty mandate?

Here are just a few of the powerful and perhaps unexpected services and benefits that public libraries can provide.

Libraries prepare children for school.Kids don’t show up to Grade 1 as blank slates; a lot of preschool learning has already prepared them for school or not. Children’s storytime, an everyday library activity, is a superfood for the preschool brain. Reading to a child is one of the most powerful ways to stimulate learning and development. The positive effects ripple through a lifetime.

Libraries help people learn what they need, when they need.Modern life is complex and we all need specific knowledge at certain times. It is May 3 as I write this and I really need to brush up on how to finish my income taxes!

Libraries support the creation and sharing of art, craft and culture.I used the vinyl printers at Edmonton Public Library to make decals when I was customizing my motorcycle.You might question my taste and the results, but it was empowering to share access to this equipment.

Libraries are community hubs and communal living rooms.People come to libraries to connect with other people and community activities, or to be alone in the company of others.I personally find this to be very important in the middle of an Alberta winter!

Nothing else replicates the benefits of a library. You can hang out at the mall but the mall’s focus is retail. You can find information on the Internet but not everything; for example, the library has Consumer Reports that you can’t get for free. And as for children’s storytime, communal places and maker spaces — I do not worry about the mall or the Internet putting us out of business.

There are many more services that libraries can provide, and no library can do it all. Choices must be made, and they should be based on local needs. Canmore, a young, active, somewhat transient community, has different needs than Camrose, a service centre and retirement option for surrounding rural areas.Different communities require different libraries.

That raises the question of what library Medicine Hat needs.A topic for the next column!