Are libraries still relevant?

kismoody · Post by **kismoody** » 01 Mar 2014, 13:35

I think Ray Bradbury put it well, "Without libraries, what do we have? We have no past and no future." I think on some level, libraries will always be relevant, but it will evolve just like everything else. Unless we eliminate poverty and kids, there will always be someone to appreciate it, even if it's only for the movies, storytimes, and internet access.

lbuckman · Post by **lbuckman** » 01 Mar 2014, 17:25

I don't go to the library much myself anymore due to having a kindle and downloading all my books. But - as a mother with children, I feel the library is still very relevant. There is nothing like taking a child to the library and seeing their excitement over the large choice of books. Being able to see and touch the books is an ideal way to get a child interested in picking out books and ultimately looking at them and reading them.

sicx24 · Post by **sicx24** » 02 Mar 2014, 14:13

I think library's are great, and also great for the kids. Hope they never go out business.

dhomespot · Post by **dhomespot** » 03 Mar 2014, 10:48

I think libraries are still relevant. They are the state,county, countries place to keep archives of newspapers. Our local library has the reading corner for young children. The parents bring them in and the librarian reads a different book to them each week. During the summer they have a summer reading challenge to keep children interested in reading.

atyler · Post by **atyler** » 03 Mar 2014, 15:03

I think libraries are absolutely still relevant. As a student, I remember always being able to go to my school library or any of my neighborhood libraries and find an incredible wealth of knowledge and discussion, both within the pages of the books I found but also with the library staff and the other patrons. I have been out of school for a number of years now but I still prefer going to a library to research a new topic that I am interested in. For me, the peaceful atmosphere and seemingly endless selection of educational and entertaining material is fantastic, but the best part of the experience is the community culture that libraries support. In my opinion, institutions such as libraries and farmers markets are absolutely vital elements to a healthy and thriving community.

I think that libraries are absolutely still relevant and are perhaps even more important now than they ever have been.

tara625 · Post by **tara625** » 04 Mar 2014, 13:08

Yes! I worked at a university library, and while I know that hardbound books themselves are becoming more obsolete, libraries still have their place. I don't believe that in the future libraries will be what we're accustomed to today, but they still serve the community as places to learn and study information. I currently use the children's programs at my local library for my one year old. Their baby programs are a great way to instill a love for libraries in little kids. Plus, that means I don't have to buy all of the books for my child and she gets to read a variety of books!

SoftCoyote · Post by **SoftCoyote** » 05 Mar 2014, 01:58

To me they are very relevant. As a college student it's still a great source for information. Especially when I'm limited to a certain number of online sources. But if there a book I would like to read and I know the library has it, I'd prefer going that route instead of buying it. And if I really liked the book then I would buy it eventually.

ALRyder · Post by **ALRyder** » 05 Mar 2014, 17:16

lbuckman wrote:I don't go to the library much myself anymore due to having a kindle and downloading all my books. But - as a mother with children, I feel the library is still very relevant. There is nothing like taking a child to the library and seeing their excitement over the large choice of books. Being able to see and touch the books is an ideal way to get a child interested in picking out books and ultimately looking at them and reading them.

Oh my gosh yes! Sometimes I have plans of going to the library, and my daughter is being a boog while I'm trying to get out of the house. All I have to say is, "Okay, then I guess you're not going to the library." and she's instantly good. I love her reaction of instant joy the second we walk into the kids area.

yalonde · Post by **yalonde** » 09 Mar 2014, 08:27

Yes. Free books and ebooks to read. Great atmosphere to enjoy reading, writing, or just thinking.

ladyvzhang · Post by **ladyvzhang** » 09 Mar 2014, 17:08

I think libraries (at least university libraries) are also changing to fit the times. Some let people borrow Kindle's or other e-readers, and some will let you download a book onto your own personal e-reader to borrow. There are still a couple of bugs in the system, but hopefully those will work themselves out over time.

As long as the government and local people keep supporting the library, people will definitely keep using them.

Shellby85 · Post by **Shellby85** » 09 Mar 2014, 17:56

Schools still promote going to the library to keep younger people doing hands on but I think it is slowly getting pushed away which is sad to see
It's so easy to get the information they need for things online
I used to love going to the library but due to family and work commitments I haven't been able to go for awhile
But there is one book I'm looking for that I haven't been able to get online which I know the library will have so will be going again soon

kateevelyne · Post by **kateevelyne** » 09 Mar 2014, 18:02

I'd be really sad to see libraries fade out.
I have started to use the library again much more since I had children, and the purpose of our visits usually centre around the children. We have recently started going there to do and print off (for free) My eldest daughters homework, the staff are really helpful in finding useful books to help her with her homework too.
As others have said here already, the library offers so much more than just books on shelves, and so they should. To me, the library is a hub of the community and this should be encouraged with more community events.

JenniferBoyce · Post by **JenniferBoyce** » 10 Mar 2014, 11:41

I do go to the library often, but I don't stay there long. I usually place books on hold from my computer at work and then pick the books up from the library on my way home. When I was younger I used to go to the library all the time; it was the perfect place to wait for my parents to pick me up after school/work.

I know that my local library is becoming more involved with the ebook movement so they offer ebooks to "check out" and seminars to aid people in understanding ebooks and exposing people to more ebooks. I think that the ebook movement is a good way for libraries to stay relevant in this technology-obsessed age.

saturday+deviant · Post by **saturday+deviant** » 10 Mar 2014, 19:11

Definitely still relevant. I try to get to the library once a week and even though I don't participate in their programs, their teen programs are very interesting from what I have read about them. Plus, every June my library holds a book sale which is where I get most of my books from for only 50 cents to a dollar.

sybil1reader · Post by **sybil1reader** » 10 Mar 2014, 21:01

I see that the parking lot of our local library is always full, so it seems to still be relevant for many people. I don't have small children and I only went to the library a couple of weeks ago to get a library card just to check out Kindle books online. I do think it is important that children visit the library because there is nothing like the sight of real books lined up just waiting to be read. I will do all I can to support my local library.