Libraries adapt to meet changing needs

Not long ago a very patient librarian at the King Road branch helped a technology-challenged old geezer download an eBook onto his iPhone. The lesson took at least 15 minutes. The geezer was me.
A few weeks later at two separate branches, I ran across groups of teens and tweens participating in activities directly linked to popular culture and facilitated each week by a librarian. At King Road, they were engrossed in “King’s Quest,” a board game where participants role-play characters and situations based on the interactive “Dungeons and Dragons.” Also, as many as 27 young people join in the “Gamer’s Guild” at Sylvania Branch each week, engaging in various video games either in groups or individually using library-furnished video game controls and iPads.
Each of these library experiences made me wonder: what happened to books? Has our public library system and its librarians turned into something completely different from what many of us have known: an access to reading material and information? Turns out, the answer is, “no … and yes.”
“We’ve always been in the book business, and that’s not going away anytime soon. Still, public libraries are flexible enough to have one foot in traditional service and one foot out ahead, anticipating and meeting community needs and wants,” explained Sylvania resident Jason Kucsma, executive director/fiscal officer of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library system. “Our vision is to be the first place people go when they want to broaden their horizons or connect with one another.”
That approach may help explain the theme of National Library Week, being celebrated later this month, which is, “There’s more to the story.” Kucsma said, “Think about libraries as a platform where we are building strong communities, culture, new futures for individuals.”
As a result, the profession of librarian has gone from organizing books to connecting people with a multitude of services and programs, explained Lauren Howald, assistant manager at the King Road branch. “We offer services at our branches, of course, but libraries now are meeting people where they are. We see our role as giving people access, whether that’s information, the tools they need, or technology.”
“The library provides access to a wealth of online resources as well as millions of physical books in its 20 locations,” Howald said. “Digital books, electronic audiobooks, databases, music, video, and other services are available at our website.” (Library data shows that one-third of all checkouts at the beginning of this year were eMedia—a 20 percent increase from a year ago.)
Erin Connolly, manager at the Sylvania Branch, observed that librarians a generation ago may have spent a lot of time saying no. “They tried to keep the library quiet … almost sacred. Food or drinks were not allowed. The biggest shift now is we want to say yes. Libraries want to become the public living room. We have vending machines and food available … and we have created community rooms that are almost constantly in use.”
“All libraries in the system partner with other local agencies to offer services ranging from dog license and passport applications to health screenings, plus GED classes through Penta Career Center. At Sylvania Branch we loan out technology to digitize slides and film, have a maker room and 3-D printer … we even have a telescope that people can borrow,” Erin said.
“At the same time, our librarians put a major focus on providing individual help to visitors who need it. We do appointments and one-on-ones all day long,” according to Erin. “Recently I helped a visitor download and print her boarding passes for an upcoming cruise because she could not get it to work on her iPhone. I think we worked together for at least a half an hour to be sure she was ready to hit the plane.”
Erin also volunteered that her staff engages visitors “at least two or three times a day” to help with the technology of downloading a book. I will admit: that made me feel better about my own recent experience.
As I was finishing up my interview at the Sylvania Branch, I encountered Sandy, Joyce and Jane—playing cards in a large public space near the front door. They said that after COVID they looked for a place to re-start their card group and Jane “clued them in” about the library. “If there is a room available, we get it. If not, we play here in the lobby. We started out with 4-5 women, and now we have 15 coming to play Hand and Foot, Samba and Skip Bo,” Sandy said.
One of the other card players added, “They also do other things that libraries never used to do.They have Wi-Fi hotspots, provide up to ten free photocopies a day, free FAX transmission, AND they even help you get a passport. They have a whole section for young people, and playtime for little ones. There is always something going on here; it’s a community. You never had any of these things at the library when we were growing up. All you had back then were …books.”