Libraries as Social Hubs

I love this statement by the authors of the Brooking Institution Blog, “They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Increasingly in the United States, you also can’t judge a library’s value to its community by simply its books.” They go on to describe how libraries and librarians “have gradually taken on other functions well beyond lending out books.”¹

Indeed, a look at any library branch calendar will confirm the library’s role as a “social hub”.

•        Book clubs
•        Knitting and sewing groups
•        Yoga, Tai Chi, stretching, meditation, Zumba
•        Teen groups
•        Parent’s groups
•        Scout meetings
•        Citizenship classes
•        ESL classes
•        Arts and crafts
•        Computer literacy classes and help
•        Polling places and Mail-In Ballot drop off sites
•        Play and Storytimes
•        Concerts
•        Films
•        Academic subject workshops and tutoring/homework help
•        Chess clubs
•        After school snacks, free summer lunches for children
•        Safe space: youth LGBTQIA+ meetups

Testifying to this fact, during this current COVID-19 crisis, while physically closed, the library continues to function virtually as a resource for their community by providing links to information:

The Carnegie UK Trust presents the idea of the Library as contributing to social wellbeing and the value of the Library is “a shared resource in which experiences and value are created”.²

Another lovely image is created by Kirsty Williamson as she explores the impact of retirees on the Public Library. In her explorations of the topic she likens the Library to “The New Village Green”. This conjures up the notion of public space open to all and charmingly describes the core mission of the Library even as the particulars change over time.³

Shana Hinze goes further and encourages Librarians to act as Community Ambassadors.

I think Libraries and Librarians already do this to varying degrees but bears further consideration. Beyond offering in-house programs, she suggests actively getting involved in the community by reaching out and joining organizations through the local Chamber of Commerce and services such as the WIC office, state job placement office, schools, and after school programs. “The idea is to go where people in the community go to get help, ask for things, or get things done”.⁴

In these ways, the Library expands its role as community centers.

Referenced:

1. Butler, Marcela Cabello and Stuart M. “How Public Libraries Help Build Healthy Communities.” Brookings, 30 Mar. 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/03/30/how-public-libraries-help-build-healthy-communities/.

2. “Library as Social Hub (Speaking Volumes).” Carnegie UK Trust, https://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/library-as-social-hub/. 

3. Williamson, Kirsty. “Creating the New Village Green: The Impact of the Retirement of the Baby Boomers on the Public Library.” APLIS, vol. 22, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 83–88. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=40102604&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

4. Hinze, Shana. “Librarians as Community Ambassadors.” Young Adult Library Services, vol. 15, no. 1, Fall 2016, pp. 27–30. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=118843606&site=ehost-live&scope=site.