Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words 5 million dollars.

source: LouisvilleKY.gov

The picture: the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, following the devastation of an August 2009 flood.  Five million dollars: the estimated amount of damage sustained by the LFPL’s main branch.

What does this decidedly non-kick-ass situation have to do with the title of this post?

First, this post is my contribution to the Louisville Free Public Library Blogathon.  This blog event, which asks bloggers to write a post on “Why Libraries Kick Ass,” is designed to raise not only awareness but also funds for the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation.

click here to donate

Librarians kick ass.  A librarian initiated this effort, and the library community has joined together to support Louisville’s library and the blogathon.  Trade publications and library blogs are covering the event, and today, library bloggers will take to Twitter (hashtag: #lfplblogathon) and social media to spread the word via their own blogs.  As a blogathon wiki author notes, “The Louisville Free Public Library gets a donation, you get a fun post to write (to train yourself for future advocacy), and the library blogger community unites for a good cause! It’s a win-win-win situation!”  Indeed it is.

Libraries kick ass.  Did you know that there is a Library Bill of Rights?  There is, and, while it is intended to guide policy, I think it also perfectly expresses the library’s role.  From the document, which can be read in its entirety on the American Library Association website:

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

There’s been much talk of whether the library remains relevant in the digital age. Here’s why I think the answer to that question is YES.

More information doesn’t always mean good information; now, more than ever, libraries and librarians can provide access to quality information sources (and help patrons evaluate sources themselves). I love a good electronic resource, and I’m all about a digital revolution, but collections will-and should-remain “hybrid” (print and electronic) for some time to come. Beyond the abundance of materials and services the library provides, it also serves as a third place: libraries build community. Provided that they receive the support to do so, libraries can and will remain relevant.

Do you agree that libraries kick ass? If so, I hope you will join me in supporting a library in need by making a donation to the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation.