Why Libraries?

The English Department’s student-run blog, The Sturges Script, is excited to announce its theme for Fall 2023: “Why Libraries?” This semester the blog is bringing attention to the importance of libraries–from local libraries to our very own Beeghly Library-The Sturges Script wants to emphasize how impactful libraries are to our communities!  

Why should we care about libraries? What do they offer us in a technology-filled world where paper is null to our everyday lives? I think E.B White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, best captures the importance of libraries: “A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” A library is more than just a building with books- it is a house of knowledge and community. 

Community? Well, yes! Libraries are social hubs for all different kinds of people, ranging from the single parent who needs to occupy their child to someone whose bed is the back of a Toyota. Here, in a library, people from different worlds come together to share their love of books, make new connections, and explore all of the resources and knowledge that a community has to offer. And, as E.B. White said, a library book can offer comfort if you feel lonely or offer answers if you have questions. 

What makes today’s libraries unique, though, is that the answers you seek no longer have to come from a book. Libraries offer a range of resources- from computer labs, to 3D printing services, and even assistance from librarians with filling out job applications! But perhaps the most important resource that modern libraries offer is people. Gone are the days of the stereotypical uptight librarian shushing you for talking too loudly. Now, libraries are a gathering place for making new friends and learning just about anything you can dream up. 

So, no, libraries are not irrelevant. Though they are under constant threat from politically motivated book bans to loss of public funding, libraries are the heart of a community. And the job of a librarian is more than shelving books and shushing patrons–they are figuratively and literally life savers (but we will get into that later). When you think of a library, I urge you to picture not only books on shelves but also the people who call it their home–even if it’s only for a few hours a day. Libraries, just like society, are constantly changing, but their meaning stays the same: a house of community. We look forward to sharing stories with you about the importance of libraries and all they have to offer this semester!