<< Back 6/12/02 Libraries play key role in community development By Sandra M. Cooper Today, as government leaders at every level are evaluating their spending priorities in these tough economic times, they wonder why public libraries should be near the top of that priority list. The answer is simple. It’s the right thing to do. And it’s the smart thing to do. You can tell a lot about a community and what it values by its investment in its libraries. That’s because public libraries make books and information, expert help and current technology available to all residents, rich and poor, young and old. Communities that value making information available to everyone, and especially those that understand the important role that libraries play in children’s education, know investing in libraries really is about investing in the future. Quality public libraries help our children succeed in school and in life. Research tells us: ° Children who use the library do better in school and in life. ° Children who have been exposed to reading before they begin school do measurably better in school, and the library offers story hours and other programs to foster early reading; and ° Children who read as few as six books during the summer maintain or gain a reading level (the library offers a summer reading programs). In many comers of our state, the public library is the only place a child can come after school to complete Internet-based homework assignments. For a child with no computer at home and a long line of classmates at school needing to get “online,” his or her public library often spells the difference between making the grade on many assignments. Young children learn to love reading by being read to. Our public libraries offer regular story hours featuring reading, story telling, games and other activities to help children enter school ready to read and ready to learn. Your local library has professionally trained experts — librarians who have the education and experience in selecting and organizing materials and helping to find just the right book, just the right answer or today, just the right website. Across the state, children and their parents rely on libraries. In Hickory, 17,512 children participated in programs at the library last year; in Chapel Hill children checked out more than 300,000 books and materials; in Stanley County the library is on track to serve more than 28,000 children and adults on the computer, and almost all of the children using the computer have no computer at home. Every community’s library is serving a similar vital role as the community’s education hub. The reality is that communities today turn to libraries for more than accurate information and guidance from experts about where to find it. People rely on libraries. They visit libraries to attend English as Second Language classes; they come to hear panel discussions on multicultural events; they come to participate in computer classes; and they come to learn and grow. Libraries are as full of energy as they are full of books. The library preserves the history and wisdom of the past, so we can hand our stories down from one generation to the next. For many communities, the library is the only source for information from rare, local special collections. History comes alive in a special way when a library visitor examines important documents that families have presented as an inheritance for the whole community. Our investment in libraries demonstrates that we value our past, our present and our future. Money invested in our libraries pays off in the short term and the long term, and says volumes about our community and what we value. Visit your libraries and support them. They are a precious resource for North Carolina. (Sandra M. Cooper is the North Carolina State Librarian.)