Will Hutchison's Essay

The Role of a Public Library Today

When Benjamin Franklin created the first public library in 1731, he could not have imagined the world as it is today. His idea of a place where one can seek knowledge without charge has survived until this day, where it faces its steepest challenge yet. Today, libraries are often seen as useless in the increasingly digitized and globalized world. With so much information at one’s fingertips, who needs a library? Public libraries, though, will remain vital parts of our communities, as access points, meeting places and bastions of knowledge.

While computers do allow much of the information once held exclusively in libraries to be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, a problem with this is that not everyone has a computer or an internet connection. A recent study found that 23% of the population had no access to the internet from their homes and, therefore, no way to get to this information. Besides having this information, libraries today have expanded to the digital realm. Most public libraries now serve as access points, places where people can use computers and get on the internet for free. With the internet tearing down barriers between countries, global communications and information transfer is instantly accessible to anyone who enters a library. In low-income areas, this is extremely helpful and even in areas where a majority of people own computers, these services are still beneficial. Research is easier than ever in libraries, with the combination of books, reference materials and computers.

Aside from all the resources for education, public libraries today are meeting places. They offer human interaction, something that’s lacking when consulting the internet in the comforts of home. In the digital world, physical separation from the material accessed is a benefit, but it also has a negative side. This type of anti-social behavior is not good for anyone, especially not children. In a library, reference librarians are present to assist with research or other work and can also fix any problems that arise with the computers. This network of support simply cannot be replicated through cyberspace. Libraries also serve as areas where friends can meet for activities or other events sponsored by the library. In a world where so many thoughts, ideas and knowledge are transferred as 1’s and 0’s, the library offers an escape back to a more social, and often more friendly, world.

Public libraries can also be counted on to uphold the values of intelligence and learning in a world where more people can name nine Yankees’ pitchers than the nine Supreme Court justices. Free education is provided to anyone who comes seeking it at public libraries; their commitment to knowledge has remained steadfast over the years. Libraries offer easily accessible information and a staff to help anyone who enters in their academic pursuit. Even as the world turns more towards the digital realm, the role of the public library will be to promote learning, even as television and other forms of media imply that learning isn’t cool.

Even in this digital and globalized world, public libraries are still relevant. They fill in the numerous gaps that the internet leaves and satisfies the public’s thirst for knowledge free of charge. Although a common perception is that public libraries will eventually be phased out, I believe that the public library will remain an integral piece of any community in the foreseeable future.

updated May 2008