This wee
k, East Central Regional Library including its 14 branches and outreach program joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating the dynamic changes that are happening in today’s libraries. National Library Week is April 10-16, a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers.
Libraries today are more about what they do for and with library users as opposed to what they have for patrons. Libraries are not only a place of quiet study, but also creative and engaging community centers where people can collaborate using new technologies or just relax. Our library offers access to a variety of print and digital resources – including collections upon collections of e-books, e-audiobooks, digital magazines and databases, Book Club and Brain Fitness kits and even microfilm of local significant sources – that can be accessed in person or online.
Libraries of all types are evolving to meet the needs of the communities they serve. At ECRL, we are transforming by offering regular children’s story times and book club discussions, a genealogy research class, Lego activities for families, legacy programming, author visits, acoustic music events, hands-on sessions covering various technology topics and much, much more.
“Service to the community has always been the focus of the library,” says ECRL Director Barbara Misselt. “Libraries level the playing field for people of any age who are seeking the information and access to technologies that will improve their quality of life.”
Libraries are many things to many people. They work with elected officials, small business owners, students and the public at large to discover and address the needs of their communities. Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, providing internet access, helping with that last minute research paper or simply offering a safe haven in times of crisis, libraries and librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.
For more information, visit your local ECRL branch library or see the library’s website at ecrlib.org.