Life in the library

So, as you know from the preamble to the weekend self-care, I had someone tell me that he didn't care if libraries burned in France due to the riots, because The Revolution, man. His exact quote was: "Books are digitized, children aren't."

Well, he's a moron and an asshole. And obviously someone who hasn't stepped foot in a library since he was a kid. So let me tell you some of the things we do at the library which don't involve books.

My library system, for example, has a tool lending program. Select branches have tools which the public can borrow, for whatever reason. We instituted this program just before the pandemic hit, and it's been a rip-roaring success. And has nothing to do with books.

Programming. My favorite part of being a librarian is conducting programming. Right now I have a monthly book club. And when I return to my home branch, because our Friends group is so generous and good with us, I'll be able to program a monthly movie night showing classic movies due to the license they bought for us. 

Reference. That's the bread and butter of a librarian. Sure, much of it has to do with connecting patrons with books they want. But we also dispense basic information. We connect patrons with resources—housing, food banks, utility payments. We print out tax forms. One patron, during the NBA season, asks us to print out statistics. Information. That's the core of a librarian's profession, and it comes in many media, not only, or even mostly, books.

Music and  movies. You can borrow CDs and DVDs from us. You literally don't need Netflix. We hoover up every major and minor music and film release. People who can't afford streaming subscriptions rely upon us for entertainment.

You want eBooks? We have them. You want streaming movies and music? We have them as well. You want to do academic research? We subscribe to academic databases. All you need is a bright, shiny, FREE library card. And you can learn languages, brush up on skills, and even earn your high school diploma. All for FREE.

Need a computer? My system loans out Chromebooks. And we've expanded the number of machines we have. We also have desktops at our facilities where you can log in with your library card, and free wifi. (For the wifi, you don't even need a library card. Just accept our Terms of Service, and you're in.)

To make a long story short, yes, libraries were created to be storehouses of knowledge. The medium is secondary. Burning a library is much, much more than burning books. It's burning a center for the community. It's burning one of the few places where you can go for free, where you're not expected to buy anything to have value and worth. It's burning a refuge from the maelstrom of the outside world. It's burning civilization.

To that churl who got me in a snit: Visit your local library. You might be amazed at all we do.

***

Like what you're reading? Never miss another post! Get notified via email here.

Donate at the link below to keep us going.