There was an interesting post on the site DadLabs today. It’s a bit long, but the gist of it is that we parents put up with all sorts of crap in an effort to foster a sense of community in our kids.
Libraries talk a good game about being community centers, and in many ways, they are. But sometimes I think that libraries could do a little more to reach out to their communities… I’m not talking about regular outreach or publishing a newsletter, but really going out there and participating in the local community. And doing it in such a way that community members feel like they can participate in the library without going through a lot of crap. More community involvement and visibility can only be a good thing for patrons and the library alike, right?
Let me tell you a story. My husband, son and I recently attended a huge parade in my community. We had heard from our neighbors that this was THE event to be at, and they were right. The local paper reported the next day that more than 40,000 people attended, and that didn’t count all of the people actively participating in the 3-hour plus event (we left after 3 hours and it was still going strong as far as the eye could see!)
Who was there? Local businesses, 7 fire departments that I counted, the schools, local civic organizations, charity groups, musical groups, local politicians, regional politicians, and state politicians. Chuck Schumer was there, schmoozing with everyone he could shake hands with. The local media was out in force. It seemed like everyone who lived in the area was either in the parade or by the side of the road, where people were tailgating with big campers, picnicking, and socializing with their neighbors.
As someone new to the community, it really gave me a sense of belonging and I learned new things about the area where I live. (Who knew the Gyro Palace was so popular? I’ll have to try it!) We left the parade feeling like we had really been able to participate in something that gave us a sense of local identity, and it was great, especially for bringing that sense of community to our son.
But I left with one question: Where was the library?
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