This isn’t a phrase we came up with while sitting in a board meeting one day, it is part of the DNA of SirsiDynix. We see libraries as extraordinary and essential pieces in their communities. The library is a safe place for so many individuals that you service every day.
The Library is the Great Equalizer, Providing Opportunity for All
There’s no greater equalizer than the library. Without it, there’s no other place that offers free access to educational resources. It does not matter what your income is because everything is free of charge. The unemployed can seek out employment aid, children from all socioeconomic statuses can access books and technology, and everyone is offered a place where they can quietly study, design, and create.
According to ALA, 73% of public libraries assist patrons with job applications and interviewing skills. Academic libraries provide assistance to almost 38 million people each year. Americans go to school, public, and academic libraries more than three times as frequently as they go to movies. In a time when everything exists to make a profit, libraries stand as a beacon for free and unprejudiced access.
In a study done by Brookings, librarians now hold a new role in modern towns. Not only do they help with access to resources, but they also help to connect patrons with health, housing, and safety information. Sectors such as health care depend on libraries to help educate the masses. For example, the National Library of Medicine is helping local librarians be more effective local navigators by regularly hosting webinars and training sessions for local librarians on how to navigate social services, aging, mental health, welfare, and public assistance.
These are just a few examples of how libraries are reshaping and transforming the areas in which they reside. We are proud to do our small part in supporting your important work. We truly believe that libraries demonstrate the power to affect change in their communities and deserve to be recognized for the good that they do. Our goal is to support libraries as they change and evolve in an increasingly digital world.
We believe in the power of libraries. We believe in you.
