Why libraries still matter in the age of the internet
What role does the library play in today’s society? Kathryn Parry, Development Manager for CILIP Cymru Wales, the library and information association, explains their importance and continuing relevance
LIBRARIES, what do we need them for now? We have the internet. We have our phones; we have our book-reading devices. Why do we need librarians?
Surely everything we need is at our fingertips and when money is tight, health and schools are obviously the forerunners in the race for funds.
But when I look at this super-connected world we live in now, I would argue the case that libraries and librarians are very much still needed in today’s society.
Libraries support a range of agendas from health to the economy: they help to increase reading and literacy, improve digital access, and contribute to greater prosperity by supporting entrepreneurs and people seeking work.
Libraries support lifelong learning, provide cultural and creative experiences and support research and innovation.
I think you’ll find it’s difficult to give me an example of another profession that does all this.
To clarify, when I refer to libraries I am including not just the physical space, but also the librarians and library workers who deliver the service, and I would like to encourage you to not just think of the library as a place but as a service – and this is then where we can see the reach of the profession.
Libraries support and enhance every stage of life and are a key ingredient for:
Community inclusion – providing rhyme times, book groups, support and communal space;
a school, to build a reading and information literacy culture – the Summer Reading Challenge, for example is the perfect way to keep primary school pupils reading throughout the summer in Welsh or English;
healthcare – not only do libraries provide the resources to train health professionals, but they also keep professionals up to date with relevant research;
colleges and universities – academic skills advice is at the fingertips of students and lecturers, and specific collections and areas are designed for group studying or a place away from the crowds.
There are specialist libraries where personal collections are held and the annual events are eagerly anticipated, while our National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth is a jewel in the crown, a national legal deposit library which, like a huge umbrella, holds the largest collection of books, maps, portraits, photographic images and archives in Wales.
If I had asked you to think of a library service in Wales before reading the list above, I am confident that you would either have thought of a public or school service, even possibly a university service, but would you have thought of the health service?
Would you have pictured a senior evidence and knowledge analyst (trained librarian) doing a literature search on Fuscobacterium necrophorum (I am reliably informed that this is a nasty bacterium) for the Public Health Wales Microbiology division?
Or a librarian discussing the best way to share new resources and study skills with a new intake of students?
Would you have thought of the National Library and know that if you live in Wales you can search “15 million articles in newspapers up to 1915”?
Think of libraries as octopuses with long-reaching tentacles – these tentacles often crossing sectors because the librarians listen to their communities and the sectors they work within and try to shape and adapt their services to match their needs.
All librarians are enablers, but the profession is broad and varied. In one situation they’ll be supporting and encouraging the staff, who will offer activities such as board game sessions and animation for children and in another, focusing on keeping a close eye on user experiences to continuously develop the service.
Another local neighbourhood development librarian could spend three-quarters of his or her time in a school, care home or daycare centre.
One of CILIP’s key roles is to act as an advocate for the library profession. Why not take a look, you may be surprised and you may even discover something new.
For further information visit the CILIP Wales website or www. libraries.wales