Courtesy of Claire Hlotyak
What comes to mind when you hear the word library? Perhaps it conjures up images of furiously writing papers, or getting shushed on the third floor when you accidentally play a TikTok out loud. For many college students, a trek to the library is an arduous yet necessary chore, fraught with late-night studying, energy drinks, and daydreams of returning to bed. But try to remember when you were younger, when this wasn’t the case. When the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was the subject of elementary school water cooler talk, and a trip to the library meant lounging around and flipping through graphic novels. Today, a trip to the library may be synonymous with homework, but for many of us, it used to be an excuse to forget our worries and discover new worlds. Do you remember the first time you read Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, staying up until 2:00 a.m. because you just couldn’t put it down? Remember when it was a joy to read? I’ll never forget the time in my life when I obsessively read a British series about child spies or when I was eight and painstakingly practiced my cursive signature so I could sign my very first library card. Besides reading, the library has played an integral role in my life, from experiencing the value of volunteering to learning how to conduct quality research. Beyond fostering a lifelong love of reading, libraries encourage community engagement and can even improve public health.
I decided to explore this topic after visiting the nearby Mystic and Noank Library. It’s a beautiful space, originally built in the 1890s, the project spearheaded by local Captain Elihu Spicer. While I walked around, I noticed free Lunar New Year crafts and shelves of local history books. I even met Violet and Matilda, the two live-in library cats. I was fascinated by the library’s combination of rich history and modern resources. The library director, Chris Bradly, noted this observation, saying that one of the most rewarding parts of working there is the “opportunity for intergenerational communications.”
For a long time, a library was simply a quiet place to read or work. While many still utilize libraries for these purposes, it would benefit us all to change our perception. I invite you to forget images of a foregone era where a library was just a building that housed books, and librarians’ sole purpose was to follow the Dewey Decimal System. In their research on public libraries building healthy communities, The Brookings Institution found that librarians are becoming “ad hoc social workers,” helping patrons access housing and health care resources, improve literacy, and much more. Librarians are not professionally trained in these fields, nor should they be expected to mediate patrons’ difficult situations, which is why some libraries are hiring social workers to address these needs. When we see libraries for what they can be instead of what they have been, a world of possibilities opens up for cultivating community care and consciousness-raising.
We live in a digital age where people feel less connected to those around them and actively seek a comfortable space to find community. Libraries are emerging as a valuable tool in combating this loneliness and building a “third place,” a term created by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Oldenburg names home as our first place and work or school as our second place. Many may associate these places with stress or anxiety, so it is vital that children and adults alike have access to a third place separate from these feelings. A third space could be a gym, cafe, hair salon, public park, or library, where people can relax and cultivate meaningful relationships.
Aside from the social aspect, public libraries play a surprisingly vital role in population health. Because the public trusts in them, libraries are the perfect vehicle for creating and enacting public health services. The National Institute of Health reviewed public libraries’ role in bettering community health, setting out to prove the unacknowledged relationship between the two. Their review covered a myriad of things, including libraries’ role in addiction education and work to decrease overdoses and improve nutrition by preparing low-cost healthy meals. Additionally, libraries actively combat social exclusion by curating spaces and events for underrepresented groups like LGBTQ youth. Such examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
I reached out to some nearby libraries to get their perspective on the shifting role of libraries in our lives. Angela DiLella, Head of Information Services at the Public Library of New London, says that the “human connection provided by libraries cannot be understated” and that “face-to-face interaction is necessary for a healthy social experience.” The library is doing its part to provide the community with these valuable experiences. Angela described a few of the library’s offerings, like providing seeds from their seed library, lending toys to young children, and offering Wifi and hotspots to all. In addition, the New London Library hosts many monthly events, such as crafting events, movie screenings, and author talks. A glance at March’s programming shows the library also offering free legal advice clinics. Being at a liberal arts college, we often discuss how creating community can increase equity and access. While these are meaningful conversations, these statements are broad and can make positive change seem like an unattainable goal. I advise us to critically look at our existing resources, like public libraries, as a roadmap for further success. Do not be fooled by the quiet atmosphere the next time you visit your local library. Take a look at the colorful bulletin boards telling the story of its secret second life. You might be surprised to realize these resources were within reach the entire time.
I encourage you to visit the libraries I mentioned, your local town library, or even Shain Library on campus with the Academic Resource Center and Writing Center. Countless free resources are underutilized simply because the public is unaware they exist.
What I am trying to say is, pick up that book that has been sitting on your shelf. Support the heartbeat of your community by checking out books, volunteering, or donating to support the library’s continued presence in your community. We must stop viewing libraries as a relic of the past and instead as a stepping stone to a brighter, healthier, civic-minded future.
