Subject area: The Importance of Public Libraries

Fromat: Educational videos

• Are Libraries Still Relevant? 
• Libraries’ Role in Making a Better World 
• Public Libraries: The Next Level 
• Reimagining the Public Library to Reconnect the Community 

Length: 1 hour

Audience: General

Organiser: TEDx Talks

Presenters: Liz Bartlett, Nathalice Bezerra Cardoso (Brazilian librarian), Rebecca Raven (CEO of Brampton Library, Canada), and Shamichael Hallman

 

Reflection:

My main objective for exploring educational videos on internationally renowned TEDx was to gain a sense of new and current trends related to the world of public libraries. As an information professional, its important for me to engage with how the public and broader international community perceive and understand what libraries are to them. How is the value of libraries being communicated to the public and what misconceptions or changing ideas are out there that extend opportunities for library professionals to more deeply engage with people and communities.

These talks paint a picture of the public library as an evolving entity that are responding and changing to cultural needs and expectations, and communicates the value and contemporary relevance of public libraries in the age of information. They challenge the stereotypes, myths and traditional ideas that still pervades the public imagination about the library. It exposes that many people lack awareness of what libraries have to offer, what they stand for and the expansive range of services and that libraries are now organisations that emphasise access, inclusiveness and community place. The public library is a much more expansive phenomena that works to reflect the diverse needs, desires, aspirations, and values of their diverse local communities. Public libraries on a global level, democratises access to learning basic literacy and numeracy skills, and not just for developing nations in the global south. They have a major role in contributing to all goals relating to the ‘United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030’, such as sustainable cities and communities and climate action.

Public libraries are creative community hubs that support the creative economies of entrepreneurs and the creative practice of individuals through makerspaces and service like 3D printing. The architecture, spaces, and activities of public libraries are constantly innovating, inspiring, and connecting communities. The final talk about how public libraries create social cohesion speaks to the tremendous importance of public libraries offering safe places for marginalised people. As public libraries are constantly working towards true inclusion, this gives public libraries a depth of meaning for individuals who can rely on the public library as a welcome space where people from all walks of life can gather, learn, engage and connect.

These talks were extremely compelling and deepened my sense of why I love public libraries. The idea of the library offering belonging and connection within a culture that is marked by othering and generating division through difference gave me a stronger sense of purpose and meaning to pursuing my future as a public librarian.