More Than Books: 10 Different Ways Public Libraries Make Our Lives Better

By Anthony Ha

With the internet putting a seemingly infinite supply of answers, arguments, and amusements at our fingertips, do we still need libraries?

The question isn’t as rhetorical as it once seemed. As shown in Free For All: The Public Library, libraries currently face the twin threats of budget cuts and a wave of censorship. So it’s more important than ever to explain why the nation needs them.

Any answer must begin, of course, with books. Lending books is at the core of any good library’s mission—hence the logical outcry whenever a renovation or redesign treats books as an afterthought, especially if it seems to be displacing books with computers.

 

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But important as books are, they’re just one of many things libraries offer. In fact, Free For All is just the latest in a recent spate of books and movies—including Susan Orlean’s The Library Book and Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris: The New York Public Library, plus the more fantastical TV show The Librarians—that attempt to capture the multifaceted role that a good library plays in its community.

And while it’s easy for advocates to fall back on important-but-abstract concepts like community, democracy, and public space, the (usually free!) benefits that libraries provide to any cardholder can be far more concrete.

So, without further ado, here’s a list of all the other things you can find at most libraries:

• A quiet place to work:

Bringing my laptop to a coffee shop feels more challenging than ever, thanks to a growing number of stores that (understandably) impose time limits, ban laptops outright, or offer counter service only. Libraries are an easy alternative, no purchase required. Plus, you might get to work in a gorgeous public space, and you’re less likely to end up next to someone in the middle of a loud Zoom meeting.

 

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• Your next job:

Libraries usually offer career development classes and workshops, which can be helpful whether you’re nervous about your first job interview or updating your résumé after decades at the same company. Some also host job fairs, provide one-on-one coaching, or even connect people to apprenticeships and vocational training.

• Help with your taxes:

The next time April 15 rolls around, you can find assistance at your local library. Some public libraries host individual appointments with tax experts, while many others partner with volunteer organizations that will actually prepare your taxes for you. (These programs are sometimes limited to low-income families and individuals.)

• An opportunity to learn about anything and everything:

As I write this, The New York Public Library is offering classes on conversational English, crafting, investing in stocks, computer basics, 3D printing, photography, GarageBand, web design, potted plants, chess, Excel, poetry, and meditation—and that’s just today. At the Cambridge, Massachusetts, public library you can take a class in using a 3D printer or even read to a dog! (And in Berkeley, too.)

 

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• Book clubs:

Sometimes I enjoy arguing about a good book just as much as I enjoy reading one. There are plenty of book clubs that are not library-affiliated, but libraries can bring together diverse groups of readers while also offering easy access to meeting space and, of course, books. Some clubs focus on specific genres (like romance, fantasy, or science fiction), while others go broader, ranging across a variety of notable and relevant titles.

If you don’t like the idea of being told what to read, there are groups that offer more flexibility—like the Stone Soup Book Club in Georgia’s Newton County, which lets you choose any book you want based on a suggested author or topic. Some book clubs, like Berkeley, California’s, “Silent Book Club,” include a time for silent reading, together.

In fact, a few years ago I got to help lead a weekly discussion group at the Brooklyn Public Library about Orwell’s 1984—it was a joy to find myself in a room full of strangers, having wide-ranging conversations that helped me see the book and the political landscape with fresh eyes.

• Streaming that won’t break your budget:

Most libraries still let you check out DVDs (some might even have VHS tapes!), but they can also support your cinematic education by partnering with services such as Kanopy and Hoopla. These streamers usually don’t offer the latest blockbusters, and instead provide a rotating selection of indie films, classics, and documentaries—many of them unavailable on the major streaming services, and all without adding a penny to your monthly streaming bill.

 

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• Easy ways to feel more cultured:

Libraries also partner with museums and other cultural institutions. For example, cardholders at any of the three New York City public library systems have access to Culture Pass, where they can sign up for free tickets to everything from the American Museum of Natural History to the public gardens at Wave Hill.

• A place to stay cool:

During the summer, many libraries serve as designated cooling stations where anyone without air conditioning can find relief. Philadelphia recently began relying more on libraries and rec centers (and less on parked city buses) to keep its residents cool, while the library system in East Baton Rouge is also using its bookmobile to bring air conditioning and charging stations to neighborhoods hit by hurricanes.

• Someone who will read to your kids:

There’s a good chance your very first memory of the library is of a grown-up reading a picture book aloud to a group of (hopefully) rapt young children. Even as its nontraditional iterations have come under political fire, storytime remains a durable tradition, both for instilling a love of reading, and for giving young parents a little break from reading their child’s favorite book for the tenth, twentieth, or hundredth time in a row. Storytimes are usually targeted at specific age groups, can be conducted in various languages (see Japanese storytime at the Los Angeles Public Library), and sometimes showcase the storytelling skills of specific volunteers.

 

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• Stuff, stuff, glorious stuff:

One of the most delightful discussion topics online: All the different stuff you can obtain (temporarily or permanently) from public libraries, which includes everything from sewing machines to seeds, cake pans, fishing poles, and even musical instruments. When I needed glasses to view last year’s solar eclipse safely, I picked them up from my neighborhood library.

 

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And as loyal John Oliver viewers know, there’s at least one library where you can borrow a taxidermied, mounted sandhill crane. Or at the award-winning Richland Library in South Carolina, you can reserve a bocce ball set and a microscope, then pretty much have your day laid out ahead of you.

Anthony Ha is a New York-based journalist focused on the intersection of culture and tech. Currently TechCrunch‘s weekend editor, he was previously a reporter at Adweek and VentureBeat. In addition, his work has appeared in BuzzFeed and Engadget, and he co-hosts the Original Content podcast. Read his previous article for Independent Lens, “How End-of-Life Doulas are Changing the Conversation Around How We Die.”