The public library system is, in my opinion, the innovation that has received the least amount of attention. I believe this because it seems like very few people use it and when I tell people how often I use the library and its resources people are very surprised! The library has everything you need, including free books, computer resources, entertainment for all ages, classes, and programs, quiet study areas, and counseling services. Even though there are many people who could benefit from the library offerings, it is often overlooked in today's society. For instance, in a library branch in San Jose, I led a free Financial Literacy Program at the library for underserved middle school students. There are numerous underserved families and understudies that could have profited from this program and it was publicized significantly yet around 40 students went when there was space for 60. When the library offers the majority of its books for free, it is very surprising that many people spend money on books. Not only is this detrimental to finances, it is also not good for the environment, especially if a book is only read once. The average cost of a book is $18; If people buy three to ten books each year, they could save a lot of money each year. A family of five buying books together could even save more than $1,000 annually. A library only needs to buy a couple of copies of each book and have people take turns using them instead of every reader buying a copy. Doing this can save millions of tons of paper and in turn our environment. A typical excuse people have about the library is that they don't want to drive there every week to borrow and return books. However, the libraries have a solution, ebooks, most people will buy these as well but, most library systems have ebook borrowing capabilities through partnerships with popular companies you may already be familiar with. Furthermore, people shouldn't underestimate the importance of reading because of the cost or because it seems like a hobby. Most people complain about not having time to read for pleasure or being too busy to read a good book but what many fail to understand is that these books are really there to help people connect with each other through stories while also educating them on important topics. Video game clubs for teens, concerts for the general public, and parties for everyone are all forms of family entertainment that are often overlooked in library systems' offerings. These programs are meant to help people improve their skills and improve their job prospects but they are often underutilized because people are not aware of them or they don't understand the advantage of these opportunities. If the public truly took advantage of libraries they would become the haven for knowledge, culture, and social activities as they once were in the 17th-18th centuries. As David Lanken said, “Bad libraries only build collections. Good libraries build services (and a collection is only one of many). Great libraries build communities”. Perhaps the public needs to learn more about all the services that the library has to offer in order to appreciate them. So what are we waiting for? Let's support libraries everywhere so that they can continue to serve our communities through innovation and service for years to come!
The reason that I feel so strongly about libraries is because of my love for reading. I am constantly searching for and reading good books. My vessel for this is my local library as well as its online resources. I am even part of the youth council for the San José Public Library system called Teens Reach where we meet to organize book sales, run tech classes, keep the libraries in shape, review books and help with many other library-based programs.
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