Libraries as Social Hubs

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Blogger: Kristin Krahmer
Libraries as social hubs have been a concept as long as I can remember. To me, the library, school or public, has always been a magical place to go for a variety of things - a place to find peace, a quiet place to study, a place to meet like-minded people, a place for workshops and free programs. Whether libraries are big or small, there really is something for everyone.
A great example of a library becoming a social hub is in College Park, WA, residents decided to fill a void for a local branch in their county library system, and started their own. A small community library was born with 800 donated books and a completely voluntary staff. The collection has grown to more than 10,000 books and there are many services offered - storytimes for children, book discussion groups, a photo club, a film series group, computers and computer classes, arts and crafts workshops, a knitting group, and fun summer reading programs. Since then, the city and small grants have continued to support the College Park community branch and now is connected with Prince George’s library collection as well to facilitate local book pick-up services for that area.
Another example of a library space as a social nucleus is the Green Free Library in Canton, PA - the youth services section acquired a Ninendo Wii with a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant to bulk up the library’s YA section. The YA book collection was also updated with non-fiction titles which it did not have before. In addition, the YA section also offers movies and internet access to teens, teen game night, and book clubs. To promote more social activities within the YA section, a Teen Volunteer Group was formed to earn volunteer hours, learn how to shelve books, and have the opportunity to learn about working at a library.
References:
"How College Park's privately run library could be a model for communities around the country." Washingtonpost.com, 12 Mar. 2021, p. NA. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A654766713/OVIC?u=cclc_palomar&sid=OVIC&xid=ead77af3. Accessed 28 Apr. 2021
"Green Free Library reaches out to young adults." Daily Review [Towanda, PA], 24 Feb. 2011. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A249864101/OVIC?u=cclc_palomar&sid=OVIC&xid=8734e1ca. Accessed 28 Apr. 2021.

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