Goshen Public Library & Historical Society | 203 Main St Goshen, NY 10924 | Phone: 845.294.6606 | Fax: 845.294.7158 | RCLS Member
« A library is… | Home | Library Purchases 5 acre site »
Why does the community need a new library when it has amazon.com and Netflix?
By plnkh | January 25, 2007
The public library is often referred to as the People’s university. In 1852, in a report to the City Council, trustees of the Boston Public Library “noted that the role of the public library extended far beyond the support of formal education when they stated that the library ‘was also seen to be the next natural step to be taken for the intellectual advancement of this whole community.’”
The public library is one service offered by a community that seeks to reach everyone, regardless of age, sex, economic class, religion, race or ethnic background. It provides books and magazines for those who like to read, audio books for commuters, videos, computers, cultural and educational programs, discussion groups and space for the community to gather. It is the only tax supported service from which many adults derive regular benefit.
The shared, publicly owned collections of the public library are a sound investment. Not all residents of this community buy all of the books and magazines they like to read; nor do they rent all the videos and audio books they view or hear. Not all students can fulfill their reading and research needs in their school library, which is generally unavailable to them outside of school hours. Goshen has no community center, movie theater, art gallery, theater company, or concert hall; but the library provides opportunities for the community to enjoy the arts.
Who uses the library? Senior citizens, families with children, a host of adults. In the past month we have served a doctor studying for a re-certification exam (away from home and office though hardly quiet); a senior citizen reading the magazines he can’t subscribe to (in a chair in the aisle inside the back door); a college student writing a paper on her laptop (using battery power, she could not plug it in because the cord obstructed the aisle); a great many people wanting a free computer; a local historian preparing a book on Goshen (kneeling on the floor next to the cabinet of files he needed) . People in this community deserve a library in which they can sit and read, work or visit with friends; in which all of the community owned materials are conveniently accessible in sufficient quantity to satisfy initial demand.
Our lovely building was built in 1918 to serve a population of 2000 residents; we now serve nearly 20,000. It was not wired for lighting to serve night-time reading much less computers. It was not designed with children or the handicapped in mind. It was not designed to accommodate more that a dozen patron and one librarian at a time. We are not trying to change our role in the community because books can now be gotten online. We are changing our role because society has changed, information has changed and the expectations of the community are not the same as they were in 1918. You have told us that and we have listened.
Topics: General |
