LIBRARIES: Much more than books

Our country is made up of individual communities, each with its own needs that can be as unique as the communities themselves. In the middle on all of these challenges, often in the very heart of our community, is a solution, a trusted institution that makes it its business to understand our needs: the library.

Librarians listen and respond to meet community needs. Libraries provide the space for diverse groups to come together for a common purpose, to tackle local issues. Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students, seniors and the public at large to discover what their communities needs are and to meet them.

The library helps foster all types of communities. We see this in our libraries firsthand, in ways big and small. New moms connect at story time, job seekers learn how to set up email accounts, teens meet up to collaborate on projects and to hang out together after school. The Community Library Network offers this and more at our locations in Athol, Harrison, Hayden, Pinehurst, Post Falls, Rathdrum and Spirit Lake. Our Bookmobile and Outreach service is the library to people in assisted living homes, apartment complexes and school campuses. We also invite folks to download books, browse our collection and find out about library events through our website, CommunityLibrary.Net.

Service to the community has always been the focus of the libraries. While this aspect has never changed, libraries have grown and evolved in how they provide for the needs of every member of their community.

This week, schools, campuses and communities across the country celebrate National Library Week, April 14-20. It is a time to remember the needs of our community matter to one of our most important institutions: our library.

JOHN HARTUNG

Community Library Network Director

Hayden