Why Libraries Are Critical and Becoming the New “Hot Spots” For the Community

GUEST EDITORIAL / OP-ED

While pencils, notebooks and rulers are important school supplies, there’s one supply that rises above them all – a library card.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month.  One of the best gifts a child can receive is a library card because a library card is not just a card… but a key that unlocks a world of possibilities. It gives access to read those classics that we all have come to know and love.  Most importantly, a child with a library card helps promote reading which creates literate and resourceful children.

Most people associate libraries with rows and rows of books; and rightly so.  These days, libraries can be accessed both online and in-person. Libraries are home to art collections, cultural and educational programs, and well-designed spaces to inspire children to participate in the arts and explore the world around them.  Children learn coding, STEM, and many children receive their first introduction to the arts from their visit to the library.

Libraries promote and support literacy through programs such as summer reading programs and story times and they devote great attention to these programs for children of all ages in order to maintain reading levels while they aren’t in school.

Libraries have become a favorite place for families to visit throughout the year. Teens often gain their first work experience by serving as volunteers that enable them to learn skills early to prepare them for college and beyond. Today’s libraries provide free access to online tutoring and specialized homework help programs.

Public libraries have long been known as the “people’s university.”   Libraries can be utilized for re-training and re-tooling our workforce by providing free educational opportunities such as job search seminars, resume building, interviewing tips and even access to online continuing education courses. Libraries also provide technological resources for those who do not have computers and other devices at home.

It’s clear that today’s libraries  improve the quality of life in a community, are a valuable resource for both young and old and provide a multitude of  free services to  all.

If you want to give a child the world, why not give them a library card? It is the key to unlocking so much, and it’s all under one roof.

Lydia Acosta is the Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Nova Southeastern University. 

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.

September 10, 2015

Vera Mandilovitch | Office of Public Affairs

954-262-5309 (office)

954-882-3570 (cell)

vmandilovitch@nova.edu