On Wednesday, February 17, from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M. the Pember Library will be taking part in “Snapshot: A Day in the Life of a Library” by collecting statistics, comments, and photographs from one day to provide tangible proof that libraries consistently provide invaluable services to our communities. All statistics will be forwarded to the New York Library Association to help them advocate for reducing funding cuts to library services statewide.
Join us at the library on Wednesday to show your support. You can fill out a short survey telling why your library is essential in your life.
People of all ages use libraries for life-long learning, to educate themselves, and improve their lives. Libraries can be a starting point for any question, any area of interest, any search for new knowledge. Libraries are the base for early childhood education, for literacy, for scholastic success, and adult studies. Libraries give you access to genealogy and local history information that just isn’t available elsewhere.
Parents bring their children to the library to introduce them to the joy of reading. When seniors want to learn how to get online, they visit their library. Throughout our lives, we search for knowledge and information and turn to our libraries to continue learning. Throughout New York State, libraries are seeing an enormous rise in use by people doing job searches, filling out online job applications and renewing their job search skills in resume writing and successful interviewing. A large percentage of jobs listings are now online and many prospective employers only accept online job applications.
A recent study by the American Library Association (ALA) shows that 73 percent of public libraries are the only source of free, public Internet access in their respective communities —in New York State it’s closer to 80 percent.
Libraries bring diverse people together. Libraries provide fun family activities. Libraries provide free access to information and resources, to computers and the web, to collections of books, DVDs, periodicals, CDs, audio books and downloadable resources, to classes and programs that open new opportunities and broaden horizons. Many people across the state can’t imagine living in a community without a library and recognize the value—both tangible and intangible—libraries bring to their lives. Put simply, libraries are recreation for the mind.
I cannot be there on Wednesday because I will be away. Please add my thoughts to the ones you gather however.
I have lived in many places and know many libraries, and the Pember is a special place. Of course, the building and history of the Pember are part of its wonder, but the staff and its place in the Granville community are just as impressive. The Pember is a beacon of literacy for all of us, from kids to older folks. It provides access to literature, information, technology, culture and entertainment for anyone, regardless of income. It connects us to a world of books through its fabulous online catalog connected to the NY state lending system, and it connects those who cannot afford internet connections to the world of learning. The Pember is a place to go and learn and play, and the staff there work very hard to make the library welcoming and relevant. The Pember is a beacon of light and literacy.