Love Your Local Libraries

The East Las Vegas Library in the Clark County Library District

For the Love of Libraries

One of the last true free spaces available and the unsung heroes of our communities, libraries offer amazing resources – often free of charge!

Through starting the magazine, I learned what my local libraries have to offer. Because February is Love Your Library Month, I wanted to share the love I have for what public libraries can offer!

With the Clark County Library District offering FREE library cards to all Nevada residents, this public service offers a lot!

A Mini-history Lesson on Libraries

The first known library is the Ebla Library, a royal library in an ancient kingdom somewhere near Mardikh, Syria, between 2500 and 2250 BCE. While in ruins, the library contained ~2,000 complete clay tablets and fragments of 4,700 other tablets. [2]

The official first library in America is somewhat contested, and church libraries are generally excluded from the designation.

You may recall something about Benjamin Franklin starting the first library in 1731. This the Library Company of Philadelphia, but it wasn’t a public library, [3].

A subscription-based library funded by share-holding members, it was started to settle disputes and advance each other intellectually by sharing knowledge, [4]

Still having ties to Franklin, the first public library was the Franklin Public Library, founded in Franklin, Massachusetts, in 1790.

Requesting a church bell from him in return, Benjamin instead sent them 116 books. The town voted to let residents borrow the books free of charge, creating the first real public lending library! [5]

Today, according to the American Library Association, roughly 116,867 libraries of all kinds are in the United States. This includes 9,057 public libraries surveyed in 2016.

Clark County has 25 locations scattered throughout Nevada’s southern half, with 15 of them in Las Vegas alone!

The Big 3

Onto the perks of our local libraries! I’m going to start with what are perhaps the most important benefits. Then, I’ll cover other resources offered by libraries (availability is subject to change due to the pandemic and by location.)

1. Free Internet/Wi-Fi

If you need internet access, the library is the best place to go with no obligation to spend money.

Depending on the location, there might be a few computers available to an entire computer center! (And affordable printing service, too!)

Even before the pandemic, using the internet to complete homework was essential for a majority of students.

According to PEW Research Center, “roughly six-in-ten [eighth-grade] students (58%) say they use the internet at their home to do homework every day or almost every day,” (PEW, 2018), [8].

In 2015, about 15% of U.S. households with school-age children did not have a high-speed internet connection at home, (PEW, 2015), [9]. That’s a lot of kids being left behind due to the digital gap.

With most schools doing remote learning now, many kids in our country without access to the internet are falling behind. This is because they can’t meet the technical requirements to go to class, let alone get their work done.

Pre-pandemic, students without internet at home would go to their local library after school to do their homework. Now more than ever, public libraries are where some students go to do their schoolwork.

When libraries closed last year, some offered free wifi in the parking lot so students could still do schoolwork.

In general, libraries provide a safe place for students who don’t have other alternatives. Even more, they’re a designated Safe Place location. They also provide a safe space for homeless people to search and apply for jobs.

Unless we treat the internet (which was tax-payer funded) as a public good, there will continue to be a significant number of students denied their right to an education as differences in socio-economic classes accessing an essential persists.

2. Literacy

It might come as a surprise to some people, but 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children, according to the Literacy Project Foundation (LPF), referencing a 1996 report done by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), [11].

Once again, public libraries come to the aid of low-income families.

That means that millions of kids in America don’t get to experience the joy of reading and the benefits that come with it as their peers do.

Ultimately, this has a multitude of negative effects on their literacy, language and speech skills, and (according to a 2013 report by Scientific American on research done by social psychologist Emanuele Castano, and Ph.D. candidate David Kidd), even traits like empathy, [12].

This also impacts a child’s academic performance and their success into adulthood, as the LPF reported that “45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level” and “50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth-grade level”, [13].

Not only do public libraries offer the opportunity to improve literacy to low-income children, but they offer it to low-income adults as well. Having free access to literature and other media provides an invaluable service to all communities.

3. Free Movies, Music, Magazines, and More!

It’s not just free books (or free audio/e-books!) you’ll find at your local library!

There is also a selection of both Blu-Ray and DVD movies available, and even some T.V. series seasons you can borrow, as well as music!

While you might have to wait for a chance to see the newest releases, families can save money on some of their media consumption by checking out movies and shows from the library instead of renting from RedBox or paying for a streaming service.

In addition, you can also save a lot of money on magazine and newspaper subscriptions by checking them out at the library too. Most major (and even some minor) publications can be found there.

During the pandemic, with people staying at home more, budgeting more strictly, and consuming more media, this can be a relief to many families who might otherwise have gone without things like books or movies this past year.

On top of that, most libraries tend to have a small store where you can buy just about anything else you normally borrow at a very low price! Those sales go directly back to the library, which means they can provide you with more resources and services.

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Resources for All

1. Experiencing the Magic

As a kid, I remember going to my local library, Sunrise Library, all the time.

For example, I went with my mom all the time. After school, I read and did schoolwork there until my dad picked us up after work. The first place I would go to when I got there was the art gallery.

Gallery of JK Russ’ ‘Desert Night & Day’ pieces at the East Las Vegas Library – Jan. 31st, 2021

I saw all kinds of different art styles in those exhibits, from paintings to sculptures to photography and other expressions.

As a low-income kid myself who only got to see an art museum on school field trips, it always felt like a luxury of sorts to me to have this experience for free at the library. I imagine other kids growing up in poverty might have a similar experience, more or less.

Being in an art gallery, even a small one, gives you a certain feeling that affects everyone differently. A sort of magical feeling. With the library already having a magical sense to it, those with a gallery are all the more magical.

On top of this, you’re also offered the magic of performing arts from time to time, as theater ensembles, opera companies, musicians, dancers, and other performers occasionally offer free shows and even interactive workshops at local libraries.

There are also story-telling sessions where you can take your kids to books read to them, sometimes by the authors themselves!

While perhaps not considered performing arts or story-telling, in middle school, I got to read a poem I wrote on stage at the library at a poetry jam event that filled the entire auditorium. Scary, but exciting – at least being on stage!

These are just a few of the things available at our amazing libraries for people of all ages. Who knows, you might just discover your passion there!

2. Educational Resources

A multitude of educational resources are available at libraries all over for all ages and all interests, and our local library district is no exception!

There are homework resources for students of all grade levels to help with math, reading, history, geography, science, and more.

Resources are available to help with studying and preparing for tests, from AP, ACT, and SAT tests to exams for professions like teaching, real estate, and the military. There are adult learning programs available too!

Regardless of age, there are many online learning resources to help people learn new things or try out new hobbies, from drawing and painting to do-it-yourself projects.

Several language learning resources are available to help your child with literacy or if you want to learn a new language.

There are also resources to help people improve their health and wellness and resources that aid in reference and research work.

3. Special Resources and Classes

DJ and Video-editing room at the East Las Vegas Library

Depending on the library, many special resources and classes are available!

The East Las Vegas Library offers professional recording equipment and editing software for people wanting to create media themselves.

This opportunity is provided in the library’s DJ, video editing, and podcasting rooms! (Rooms must be reserved in advance, and you might have to take a class before being able to use it.)

It is an invaluable resource for those who might not otherwise have access to technology to create with. And, for those who don’t know how to create content or use the equipment, they can take a class to learn how!

4. Seminars and Screenings

There are always learning opportunities available throughout the year at the district’s various libraries.

From creative workshops to job fairs and business seminars, they can likely be found at your local library!

I myself attended several business seminars when I started developing this publication. I received a lot of knowledge and resources I might not have had if I didn’t have that opportunity to learn.

There was also a free screening of the plastic documentary “Bag It,” I saw at the library back in 2019. The group 5 R Revolution hosted the screening and did a discussion session with the audience afterward to discuss the film.

It was a great experience to share ideas and knowledge with other people in the community about how to be proactive about plastic after seeing the film!

The last benefit to the libraries I’ll share, which I’ve also used on countless occasions, is their study and meeting rooms.

These rooms provide a quiet, closed-off space for you to work in either by yourself or with a small group of people. I’ve personally used them to study in, do podcasts or interviews, plan events, and go over website development!

Show Your Library Some Love!

These are just some of the amazing things public libraries have to offer the community! So show your own local library some love this month, and see what you find!

Call the library ahead of time if you want to see what resources are currently available at that location.

Don’t forget to get your library card if you don’t already have one! Remember, it’s free!

#LibrariesDoThat #LoveYourLocalLibrary #ChildrensLiteracy

For the Love of Libraries

A Mini-history Lesson on Libraries