Undeniable Importance of Library in Modern Society

'The library card is a passport to wonders and miracles, glimpses into other lives, religions, experiences, the hopes and dreams and the striving of all human beings. And it is this passport that opens our eyes and hearts to the world beyond our front doors, that is one of our best hopes against tyranny, xenophobia, hopelessness, despair, anarchy, and ignorance' – Libba Bray. Many people believe that the importance of a library in modern society is a thing of the past. Within this essay I will share argumentative statements on why it's not about the past, but we still need libraries.

Brief Background Information About Libraries

Libraries for many centuries have been existing with the earliest collection consisted of clay tablets from as early as the Babylonian era. As libraries progress over the years and paper was invented, libraries then started collecting handwritten materials. Then came the intervention of the printing press, where books and other material was produced, these were also collected and stored for future use. Libraries then became so popular and useful for society. Which brings me to this point, what is a library in general?

According to the online dictionary of Library and Information Sciences (ODLIS), the word Library comes from the Latin word Liber meaning “book.”. in Greek and Romance languages, the corresponding term is known as bibliotheca. Eberhart - further define what a library is, it’s a collection of resources in a variety of formats. These resources can be described as books, which can be print and nonprint, audio visual, artifacts, newspapers and digital resources. A library can further be classified as a room or building or facility which is used to store such collection. It is also responsible for collection, organizing and to facilitate the free access of these resources by the users within our society. Eberhart in his writing also states that the main mission of a library is to provide information, educate and deliver some form of recreation for its patrons.

Libraries are no longer stereotypes, as people had believed them to be, way back in the early centuries, they are changing with time. Libraries are more dynamic now than even before. They are finding ways and means to meet the growing needs of their patrons. The access to more and more information is creating a buzz among libraries and its professionals to fill that void. We are in an era of the information age and more literatures are been written and created for research and other purposes. Libraries had become an integral part of our society and is the linked between people and information.

Thus, the establishment of libraries within our society must be defended because they provide the entire society with the necessary tools to educate, inform, preserve, and disseminate of information for all who needs it, they provide a home away from home in the comfort of books. Hence, I would say that society without any libraries has no significance, they both are inter-dependent on each other in order to serve its users and to achieve its goals, which is quality information for all. It serves as a vital instrument in the progress and development of any society. My defence in the establishment of libraries in society are libraries contribute to making communities much healthier, society is connected through the help of libraries and libraries as an educator.

Three Reasons Which Explain the Importance of Library in Modern Society

My first reason is that libraries can contribute to making communities much healthier, when you think about health, you don’t think of it as a library, that would be able to provide such services. But the truth is libraries do play such role in our society. In fact, libraries can offer a wide variety of health information, both tangible and intangible. These are delivered both online and through books, pamphlets, magazine, newspapers, journals, online databases and most importantly face to face consultations. The information unit which provide such resources and deals directly with the general public is the Public library. No other social institution can perform such a wide range of service as a public library to the entire population of a given area. The public library serves as a hub for the society and can help facilities the health of our people. The public libraries provide spaces in their buildings where health and wellbeing group can work with the individuals, small group as well as large groups to enhance and inform persons as the need arises. There is a no fee policy from the users and to full use by the public without any segregation of caste, creed, color or sex. Its fair use by all. A study conducted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, found out that over 50% of libraries help patrons find health resources, 18% bring in healthcare providers to offer free limited screening services, and over 20% provide free fitness classes. So, libraries together with profit and non-profit organization, healthcare providers, and medical professionals, can keep communities healthier and increase their value in a way that makes a serious impact in society.

Secondly, society can be connected through the help of libraries. Here the library plays a very important part in the development of our society. They bring communities together for a better cause. Whether you are a family looking for a fun story time or a foreigner in need of languages resources, a jobless person in search of help to source jobs or to process an application. All attention is centered at the library. One can go to any libraries for help in various areas. Based on the location of some libraries it is ideal for many activities such as reading programs for children, art classes, dancing, educational programs such foreign language classes for individuals. Community projects can be instituted with the help of libraries in gathering the necessary information for that project to be successful and to the benefit of all in the society. Libraries are also ad hoc for social workers to help local people with the challenges of life such as housing, heath systems, and other issues. Another reason in support of the above statement is that libraries make it more comfortable and welcoming to those with different conditions such as dementia and autism. Special programs can be created to accommodate these individuals to make them feel more at home but away from home to be able to mix with other members of their society.

The third reason is a library can be an educator, meaning it teaches about everything you can possible think about in relation to learning. Libraries provide free educational resources to students, teachers, professors, parents to aid in the process of learning. It can make a positive impact on education once it is used for the right purposes. This in fact is a key part in which libraries in delivering much needed information such as recreational, educational, research and cultural practices in that is correct and not fake news. There are several different libraries that serve varies communities. For example, a school library, they deal solely with schools to provide them with the essential resources and learning materials in accordance with the various course outlines and curriculum. It plays a very vital role in the life of students. They can create a perfect environment for learning to take place faster and in turn impact the performance of the students. The school library carries several publications as fiction books, nonfiction, reference book, literature books, audio as well as books in series. Not all students can afford to purchase their textbook because of the cost involve in doing so, hence the reason why one can photocopy for free or for a minimum cost. School libraries change over time to enhance the growing demands of students and teachers alike. On the other hand, university libraries provide resources of a much higher level in comparison to school libraries, special libraries and national libraries. Student of various levels benefits from libraries in completing assignments and projects. A lot of libraries in school, colleges and universities are moving toward online resources, such as databases to keep update with the moving times. Users can now stay at home as and access free information online. Interlibrary loans are there to facilitate users with articles, books and other resources that they don’t have in their library, is sort by this medium. Library now develop an open policy for users to access.

And finally, as libraries move toward mass digitization of materials and resources, which will enable users more access to stuff not readily available beyond what is stored physically like books etc., the digital age is making libraries more important now more than ever and they are expected to deliver. Are libraries still relevant?

Conclusion

In conclusion I would say that libraries in society are still relevant and is fast paced in becoming more of a virtual space for the empowering of knowledge to society. Library hasn’t changed in its purpose in delivering much needed resources.

References

1. American Library Association. (2021). Libraries Transform: The Expert in You. Retrieved from: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/librariestransform/expert

2. Bertot, J. C., Jaeger, P. T., Langa, L. A., & McClure, C. R. (2006). Public access computing and Internet access in public libraries: The role of public libraries in e‐government and emergency situations. First Monday, 11(9). doi: 10.5210/fm.v11i9.1392

3. UNESCO. (2015). Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society: UNESCO Guidelines. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247438

4. Varlejs, J., & Lansdale, M. W. (2017). The Library’s Role in Supporting Open Access Publishing. College & Research Libraries, 78(1), 13-19. doi: 10.5860/crl.78.1.13

5. Bertot, J. C., Real, B., & Brooks, L. C. (2014). The transformation of library services and management in the age of digital information. Library Hi Tech, 32(1), 1-12. doi: 10.1108/LHT-07-2013-0087

6. Wiegand, W. A. (2015). Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library. Oxford University Press.

7. Connaway, L. S., & Dickey, T. J. (2010). The Digital Information Seeker: Report of Findings from Selected OCLC, RIN, and JISC User Behavior Projects. OCLC Research.

8. Karaganis, J. (Ed.). (2018). Shadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher Education. MIT Press.

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9. Crawford, W. (2014). The importance of libraries in the digital age. Online Information Review, 38(1), 22-33. doi: 10.1108/OIR-09-2013-0259