Wednesday Wanderings

A recent article in the NY Times is worth a perusal.  It addresses the need for libraries in the 21st century.  If the outpouring of support for the Hopkinton Town Library since August 3rd is any indication, libraries role in communities is more essential than ever.  People don't just miss being able to borrow books and movies, they also miss our programs, using our meeting spaces, informal interactions, having a quiet safe place to retreat into one's thoughts, interactions with staff, the noise, the silence, the computers.....I hasten to remind readers that we are still here to offer many of those things, just on a smaller scale, right here at the Slusser Center. 

Follow the below link to read the article, which is also excerpted in part.

http://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/opinion/sunday/civil-society-library.html

To Restore Civil Society, Start With the Library

This crucial institution is being neglected just when we need it the most.

By Eric Klinenberg

Mr. Klinenberg is a sociologist.

• Sept. 8, 2018

EXCERPT: Libraries are being disparaged and neglected at precisely the moment when they are most valued and necessary. Why the disconnect? In part it’s because the founding principle of the public library — that all people deserve free, open access to our shared culture and heritage — is out of sync with the market logic that dominates our world. But it’s also because so few influential people understand the expansive role that libraries play in modern communities.

Libraries are an example of what I call “social infrastructure”: the physical spaces and organizations that shape the way people interact. Libraries don’t just provide free access to books and other cultural materials, they also offer things like companionship for older adults, de facto child care for busy parents, language instruction for immigrants and welcoming public spaces for the poor, the homeless and young people.