Libraries are some of my favourite places. I was lucky enough to have a library near my home growing up, and a library in my high school. Even now, in university, the library is one of my favourite places.
Libraries aren’t just about the books. Libraries provide places for people to read and study, as well as safe places to spend time. Especially for parents, it’s a great place to take children for various events (like story time and puppet shows). As a student, it’s a consistently quiet place to do work, or meet others for group studying (on the “group study” floors). They are also free and available to anyone in the community.
Libraries also provide many invaluable resources. Often, there are databases accessible through library websites, e-books online, movies, events, seminars and workshops that can help with things like resumes and job searches. Jobs and volunteer opportunities are also available. A lot of these resources would otherwise be inaccessible to many.
The books are notable as well. I feel calmer surrounded by books, and I’m sure others do too (but maybe not everyone). It’s nice knowing that information on almost every topic, and stories with a million different characters and stories are just steps away. If you are ever looking for something specific, librarians are also available to help.
Unfortunately, not every community has a library, but as part of the University of Guelph, we have access to a great library! There is a large collection of books on a plethora of topics, lots of events running throughout the year, online resources and study space (most of the time). What’s your favourite thing about libraries?