Celebrate National Library Week
She Says
Each year, National Library Outreach Day is celebrated on the Wednesday of National Library Week, which this year falls on April 9.
The day provides the chance for library supporters to make their enthusiasm for libraries known. This can be done in a number of ways, including through sending a message to a library or to a community official or by otherwise making your position clear by talking to others in person or online.
Libraries provide free information, both in print and digitally, and they serve as a valuable resource for everyone in the community, not just through the information they provide but also by serving as a location for fun and educational community events.
They also provide Internet access, the use of computers and access to other types of technology, sometimes including 3D printers. Some libraries even have such items available as musical instruments, sewing machines and other technology.
Library employees are valuable aides in helping community members locate resources, including general information, recreational books, television shows and movies, aid with research, and assistance with reading, writing, research, finding community assistance and more.
The American Library Association website, ala. org, provides resources for fighting censorship, as well as information about banned books and challenged books, the importance of literacy, intellectual freedom, public policy and more.
Consider taking the opportunity to visit a library this week and remind yourself of what they have to offer.
Our community has libraries in Russellville and Red Bay, as well as in our schools, both at the elementary and high school level, as well as on the campus of Northwest Shoals Community College in Phil Campbell. There are also some Little Free Libraries around the county – small structures that often resemble a birdhouse that hold a few books free to borrow, keep or swap.
How will you celebrate libraries? Let’s not forget to take advantage of all they have to offer.
