Meeting our neighbors in the Beacon Hill Library

Tess Martin

Tess Martin uses the Beacon Hill Library to browse and to place holds on books. This year 300,000 holds have been requested across the library system. Like most library uses this reflects a significant  increase in demand. Holds are up 13% this year. Here’s what libraries mean to Tess:

I use the Beacon Hill branch public library. I use the library to read magazines and browse DVDs, but mostly I use the online catalogue from home to search for books and put them on hold.  I then go into the library to pick them up.

The library is a great benefit to me personally because I could not afford the money or space required to own books.  I think it’s amazing that I can read all these books for free! I don’t have a kindle or other e-reader.  The kindle and other e-readers might save space on the bookshelf, but you have to shell out for the machine itself.  Also, I do a lot of reading on screens at work, and I wouldn’t want to do that for reading books as well.

I think libraries are a great benefit for the community mainly because they are a great meeting point.  Beacon Hill is very diverse, and there are few places where all the different populations can mingle. The library is a great place for that.  It’s also great for people that don’t have their own computers at home, and people who need a quiet room to study.

I think libraries are still very relevant because there are still a lot of people who don’t have access to knowledge on google books or on the internet.  The library is a great equalizer, providing all of that in one place, for everyone.

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What library do you use? Why is the library important in your life? Email us at: advocacy@friendsofspl.org

 

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