While cleaning up some files in my office this week, I came across an article that I had saved from 2015 titled “In Praise of Libraries,” written by Joe Queenan for The Rotarian magazine. In the article, Queenan, who is an avid library user, extols the virtues of public libraries in a very entertaining way. I especially appreciated his description of the many functions that public libraries serve.
“It is an adjunct to the public schools, a place where kids can do their homework,” he writes. “It is a day care center of sorts, where small children gather for story hour. It is a safe haven where senior citizens can pass the time in the company of others, where the unemployed can look for work. It is a place where the lonely can be less lonely, the bored less bored, the dejected less dejected and the ignorant more enlightened.”
That is a powerful list of aspirations that we try to live up to. Our goal is to make our resources accessible to all and to make every person who walks through our doors feel like they matter. We have so many resources that you might not be aware of.
It should be obvious we have physical items to check out — fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, music CDs, DVDs, puzzles, games, audiobooks, ukuleles and even Playaway Learning Tablets, which our youngest library users can use to gain valuable early literacy skills. All of these resources are free with your library card.
Need to use a computer or access Wi-Fi? The library has you covered. If your printer has decided to run out of ink at the most inopportune time, the library offers black and white printing and copying (for a nominal fee).
Looking to catch up on the latest newspapers or magazines? Our Fernandina Beach branch has a relaxing reading room for you to sit and read to your heart’s content. All of our branches also offer testing proctoring, which can be reserved by making reservations with the branch librarian at least one week before your test date.
Our electronic offerings keep growing. We offer Cloudlibrary for electronic audiobooks and e-books; Hoopla offers those as well as TB shows, movies, magazines and Great Courses. Great Courses has some great videos, including how to master tai chi and how to learn to play chess. Take some time and explore the fun offerings.
One of the way the library tries to be a good steward of our financial resources is through applying for grants and by offering additional services that bring revenue into the library. Offering passport processing services at our Fernandina Beach branch not only makes it easy for Nassau residents to get ready for international travel, but it also brings money back into the library so that we can expand our offerings.
Do you have a nonprofit that needs a place to meet? Our Fernandina, Hilliard and Callahan libraries offer meeting room spaces that are free for non-profits and charge a reasonable fee to anyone else needing to use it.
If you have not come into the library recently, come explore. We are sure you will find something new and unexpected.
