Return on investment. You may hear those three words when you’re talking about the stock market or real estate investments, but how often do you hear them when you’re talking about the library? Probably not as often as you should, if ever.
In these tough economic times, everyone is always wondering if they are getting the best bang for their buck. Am I getting the most with my money? I can tell you that the library is one place where you are getting your money’s worth.
Recent studies have shown that for every one dollar that goes to the library, you get five dollars back on your return. That’s pretty good, huh? I’d say that the library is a pretty darn good investment.
Where else can you borrow books, DVDs and magazines for free? Where else can you use a computer and surf the internet for free? Where else can you test drive the latest technologies of an e-reader or tablet like the Nook or Kindle Fire for free?
And don’t forget about all the programs and events we offer like after school club, summer reading, Fall Fiesta and most recently, Free Comic Book Day and ComicCon.
It’s easy to forget the library is here until you need it. The library is a community resource and an investment. The more you put into it, the more you can get out of it.
Liberal has been great in supporting the library and understands it’s a valuable commodity. Still, it never hurts to give a reminder of its value.
For more information on how much you’re getting back on your library dollar, check out http://www.ilovelibraries.org/getinformed/getinvolved/calculator.
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What is a library? By definition, “it’s a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale.”
What if you asked somebody on the street that question? The answer would probably be a place where you can read and check out books for free. Well, that was it back then. Nowadays, it’s probably more like use computers and the internet and check out DVDs.
But what I think people don’t realize is that we’re much more than that. The library is a place of information and as librarians we’re here to help them get that information.
It seems that when people need help they turn to us. And it’s where people are directed to go when they need help.
And as one librarian said to me, “Well, duh! That’s what we’re here for.”
And I get it. We are here to help people.
It’s about people not knowing where else to go. It’s about people looking for help. It’s about people looking for answers. And that’s what we’re here to do. The library will do the best it can to provide answers.
A lot of people might be under the impression that the patrons looking for help are just lazy. They don’t want to do the work. They just want someone to do it for them.
There may be some that do, but most of them just want a helping hand. They may seem that they want you to do it all for them and they may not want to because they’re scared, but if you nudge them you’ll find that they actually want to learn how to use the resources the library has to offer.
When you first get them started, it seems like they’re completely lost and they want you to do it for them. But then you realize that they simply need to gain confidence. They may look at you with a blank stare at first, but once you get them rolling, they realize they can do it themselves and they’re on their way.
Along the way, you’ll find that the patrons are patient and appreciative. They’ll start telling you about themselves and wanting to share their life with you. In the end, you’ll have they really don’t take you for granted. I think they really understand that the library is a place where they can come in and get help.
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