JCLC--The Reader, Fall 2002

What’s New @ the Library?
By Linda Cohen, Birmingham Public Library

What do you think your friends and neighbors would say if you asked them to describe a library? After speculating about how weird you are, some of them might speak reverently about the library, praise its value to the community, and yet not be able to recall the last time they actually set foot in one. A few guilt-ridden individuals might not appreciate your drumming up their nightmarish memories of the library - frantic last-minute research for term papers, humiliation over books lost or overdue, and the fear of fines growing like kudzu. Others who have no direct personal experiences in libraries might offer you the media’s image of quiet, serious places guarded and shushed by stern, blue-haired women in sensible shoes. You might see the library as the place where children are sent for story hours and summer programs, where retirees on fixed incomes can borrow books for free, where students claim they are going, or where browsers pass the time. Whatever your idea of a library is, if you have not visited a public library in the last year, it is time for your idea to be renewed. Why? Because, like people, libraries change.

Today’s public library resembles the library of the past about as much as you resemble the person you were ten years ago. Of course, public libraries and librarians still do many of the things that they have been doing well for a long time - lend materials, promote reading, provide information, assist students, and offer space for meetings, programs and exhibits. The difference is the way services are delivered, the new tools in the library’s toolbox, and the methods for using them.

The biggest changes in libraries in the past ten years have occurred because of computers. They run the catalog, process circulation data, and send and receive mountains of information via the Internet. The direct availability of online information to consumers might suggest to the uninformed that people no longer need libraries. This is simply not the case. Just as radio did not kill reading, movies did not silence radio, and television did not close theaters, the Internet will not pull the plug on libraries. In fact, recent studies show that Americans are using their libraries more than ever (ALA) and that most Internet users are also library users (ULC). What is happening is that even though the Internet makes it easier for individuals to search for information, their results are usually overwhelming, often imprecise, and at times inaccurate. Librarians have come to the rescue with organizational skills to help bring order to the Internet’s chaos and professional training to weave reliable information from the tangle of the World Wide Web.

Besides selecting and acquiring the best information possible from reliable resources, public libraries are committed to building a bridge over the digital divide. If you want to travel the information highway and can reach a public library, you will not be left behind. In Jefferson County computers are offered for public use during library hours in every public library. (Be sure to call first to confirm availability and applications if you want to use one of the library’s computers. Telephone numbers are listed in this publication.)

If you have your own computer with Internet access, you can use the library Web site anytime day or night to access online information and resources. To learn how the librarians and libraries in the Jefferson County Library Cooperative can deliver services and information to you by way of your computer, check out www.jclc.org. You can use your JCLC library card online to reserve materials, have books sent to the library of your choice, renew materials, and check your library card record. Just click on the function you want and follow the instructions. For information about computer classes offered at the library, click on Computer Center.

To use the library’s online databases click on Databases and follow the instructions. With the databases you will have access to full-text magazine and newspaper articles, telephone directories, encyclopedias, and other authoritative information on topics ranging from health to business to literature and social sciences. You can even "borrow" electronic books right from the library’s Web site by clicking on JCLC eBooks Online Collection and following the instructions to set up your account.

While libraries welcome change and eagerly embrace new ways of organizing and presenting information, some libraries also have a responsibility to retain and preserve certain old materials, unique items, and special collections for their communities. To catch a glimpse of some of the treasures in the Birmingham Public Library, go to www.bplonline.org and start your tour by clicking on Archival Resources. To see more, make plans to visit the Linn-Henley Research Library. The building alone is worth the trip.

If your visit to the public library is overdue, visit it online or check it out in person. In September the Central Library of the Birmingham Public Library System will sponsor What’s New @ the Library, a series of three programs that will showcase today’s public library. Programs will take place in the Arrington Auditorium on three Wednesdays beginning at noon and lasting about an hour. Learn what your public library has to offer and how to use the new resources, all with the help of trained professional librarians. And like the public library itself, the programs are free. See you @ the library!

September 4 - Check Out the NEW Public Library

September 18 - Alternatives for Busy People

September 25 - The 24/7 Library - Mom, My Report Is Due Tomorrow!