…a library is not just a reference service: it is also a place for the vulnerable. From the elderly gentleman whose only remaining human interaction is with library staff, to the isolated young mother who relishes the support and friendship that grows from a Baby Rhyme Time session, to a slow moving 30-something woman collecting her CDs, libraries are a haven in a world where community services are being ground down to nothing. I’ve always known libraries are vital, but now I understand that their worth cannot be measured in books alone.
A library is not just about books: it’s also a place for the vulnerable by Angela Clarke (via librariesbuildcommunity)
This is why it is a nice burn/joke when Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation asks the hated librarian how it feels to work when your job’s been made redundant by the Internet (I’m obviously paraphrasing) – but it’s not accurate. Libraries are important – and wonderful – not only for the information they store, but as places information lives, can be discovered, and shared.
Thoughts?