There has been lots of discussion lately about the role of public libraries in the 21st century and I have re-tweeted quite a few of these discussions (which you will find in the twitter feed on the right).
It is, and has always been, true that people can buy resources on their own rather than go to the public library. In fact, access to these resources, for people who can afford them, has never been easier.
Those of us who can afford this richness in stimulating content available through Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, tend to forget that it can get quite expensive when you add up your ipad, laptop, Rogers account, along with payments for music, books and videos.
One of the founding principles of public libraries is that everyone in a community should have the same access to ideas, culture, information and the same opportunities for personal growth which result from this access. Why?
Because a literate population is decidedly healthier, more community-minded, informed, engaged and employable.
Aside from access to resources, is the role of the library as a physical space open and welcoming to all that nurtures individuality, inclusion and social cohesion, civic identity and pride, democracy and citizenship.
The library isn’t simply a social service in a bricks and mortar shell: it has a wide social impact that can’t possibly be accounted for within the confines of a city budget. Libraries promote and represent everything that’s good for and about a city, if not a country.
Libraries are quite simply --- A Treasured Public Good which we erode at our own peril.
