We’ve all felt the impact of the past year – not being able to carry on with our lives normally, not socializing in person with family and friends, working from home or not working at all, navigating virtual school, not meeting at gathering places such as bars, theaters and libraries. Yes, even libraries!
Libraries have always been and continue to be critical gathering places in every community around the country. And, like all places, libraries have faced numerous challenges. Carrying on during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant transitioning to the virtual realm while outfitting our staff and buildings to deliver services safely. Going forward, the challenges will continue, and the time to plan for the future is now.
We need to look beyond the current pandemic to a time when everyone nationwide will be able to fully gather again, everywhere, including in libraries – such important buildings at the center of every community.
The time to plan for libraries’ lasting impact as essential places for education, enrichment and enjoyment is now.
Like all places, libraries have faced numerous challenges.
Providence Public Library is fortunate to have undergone a recent $25 million renovation – Rhode Island’s largest-ever library construction. Our massive construction project received valuable state funding administered through the R.I. Office of Library & Information Services, as well as technical assistance and support for the project. The result is a beautifully transformed library building just waiting for the masses to be able to visit again.
Our overarching goal was to completely transform PPL into a 21st-century library – a welcoming, light-filled, easy-to-navigate, state-of-the-art learning center at the heart of our community; a place where people can come together, learn and create. Here’s some of what we’ve achieved:
• A new three-story atrium staircase helping to seamlessly connect our historic 1953 and 1900 buildings.
• New, modern education and technology labs providing more high-quality programming and learning spaces for youths and adults in the heart of Providence.
• A new teen loft and enlarged children’s and early-childhood rooms.
• A state-of-the-art 255-seat auditorium, completely compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and a large, museum-quality exhibition and gallery space.
• A completely upgraded facility and restored exterior featuring new and expanded windows and increased lighting, including in our book stacks.
But not all communities around our state and country can boast a new, state-of-the-art library, welcoming and providing fully for the needs of today’s library users.
The Build America’s Libraries Act, introduced in January by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., among others, will help secure the future of our nation’s libraries. The legislation will provide $5 billion to support long-term improvements to library facilities, including addressing needs that have arisen due to COVID–19, to enable libraries to better serve rural, low-income and underserved areas, as well as people with disabilities and other vulnerable library users.
As Congress and the Biden administration look for ideas around rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and creating jobs to help Americans recover from the economic downturn, libraries should be a critical part of the plan and this funding is the foundation. The Build America’s Libraries Act will begin to address decades of underinvestment by providing funds to repair and construct modern library facilities in communities that have been oppressed from opportunity, and it will help to ensure that every community has equitable access to state-of-the-art library services in libraries built for the 21st century.
Jack Martin is executive director of Providence Public Library.
