Of the readings, three are the jumping off point for this
posting. Bobbi Newman writes that people need libraries to take on the task of
helping them become transliterate (" Libraries and Transliteracy Slideshow,"
2009). In her blog posting, Strange says “libraries
provide ACCESS and COMMUNITY [Strange’s emphasis] to
those who want it. And neither of those things, along with learning, are
dependent on a technology, a medium, or a casing” ("Why we should stop caring," 2010). Finally, Charlotte Abbott poses the
question as to whether e-books will destroy libraries ( 2010).
Libraries, in the meantime, appear to be stepping up to the
challenge of the 21st century, offering a range of digital and
traditional services. Edmonton Public Library (EPL), for one, appears to have
invested heavily into its online presence at epl.ca; it
also is expanding its physical presence in communities such as Millwoods.
People seem to be responding; in 2009, a
population of 80,000 in that community generated 600,000 visits (“8278503222012045507648.PDF,”
n.d.). In addition to its online presence
and making e-books available to readers, the library is also lending e-readers (Unknown, 2012). It seems EPL’s wraparound approach
isn’t limited to the provision of traditional offerings. A social worker has
recently been hired at the downtown library to work with its regular users who
have mental health and social issues. As the EPL says, “libraries act as
community cornerstones that can help prevent and resolve societal challenges
including drug abuse, crime and illiteracy that marginalize segments of the
population” (“EPL
receives over $600,000 for downtown community safety program,” 2011).
