Beyond the Book:
A look at Libraries in The Modern Day
“Every life contains millions of decisions. Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. An irreversible variation occurs, which in turn leads to further variations. These books are portals to all the lives you could be living..And they all exist in the Midnight Library”
-Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
Matt Haig in the Midnight Library describes a library of multidimensional proportions, each book containing a different timeline in your life. Although the library Haig describes is quite different than that of the libraries we know, the core remains the same:
​
The Library is a place for stories.
​
Stories not only contained in the millions of cellulose fiber pages, filling the books cover to cover.
​
But the stories of each and every one that walks into the library. The stories that link the individual with the community.
​
The library, though known for its thousands of books, has always stood for something greater. A place for new stories to be told and shared, a pillar for those that live there. One that is, as Commack Public Library Director Laurie Rosenthal describes, a "Community Center."
​
​
​
That was Laurie Rosenthal. Rosenthal has been the director of the Commack Public Library for over 20 years, but her roots to the library extend even further; Rosenthal has worked at the library for nearly 40 years.
​
Rosenthal started as a page after graduating college - essentially, an assistant that works under/with librarians.
​
From there, Rosenthal's relationship with the library began to unfold.
​
​
For the past 40 years, Rosenthal has much in the way of experience at the library across the various departments. But of course, she finds being a director the most fulfilling.
​
"Certainly [I] feel [the most fulfilled] as director; you feel you're contributing more to the community."
​
Community has always been at the core of what Rosenthal stands for - "We [The Library] has turned into what our community wants us to be.
​
But the library as a place for the community, a place much larger than that merely containing books spans back to even the most famous library in the world - The Library of Alexandria.
​
Karim Boughida is the newly elected Dean of University Libraries at Stony Brook University. Boughida was Dean of University Libraries for the University of Rhode Island from 2015 to September 2022, then becoming Dean of University Libraries at Stony Brook University.
​
Boughida is a Université de Montréal (University of Montreal, Canada) graduate with a Masters in Library and Information Science, a master's degree required for most professional librarian positions in the United States.
​
The Library of Alexandria to this day is still considered one of the most significant and important libraries in the world. As Boughida explains, the Library of Alexandria was not only a storage place for scrolls, but a place for research, in-depth learning and knowledge.
​
The Library of Alexandria was only a smaller part of the greater research center. The "Museum" (Mouseion or Musaeum), as it was often referred to, encompassed the now famous Library of Alexandria.
​
Little is truly known about the Library of Alexandria, due to the now infamous burning of the library.
​
But what is known reveals the skeleton of something unfathomable - knowledge of near infinite proportions, a research center unlike anything seen.
​
In The Letter to Aristeas, composed by an unnamed Jewish writer int he 1st Century BC, calls Demetrius of Phalerum, one of Aristotle's most important pupils, the "President" of the King's Library.
​
This letter is known to contain the earliest idea of the library. Below are excerpts:
​
​
​
​
Aristeae epistula 9
"9. Demetrius of Phalerum, the president of the King’s library, received vast sums of money for the purpose of collecting together, as far as he possibly could, all the books in the world. By means of purchase and transcription he carried out, to the best of his ability, the purpose of the king."
Even at its earliest conception the Library of Alexandria set its sight for the stars; an entire collection of the world's written works, stored in one place.
​
But of course, the Library of Alexandria was only a small part of the greater research center.
​
Much like the Library, little is known about the Musaeum. The best surviving account comes from Strabo, a Greek geographer and historian. He recounts the following:
​
"The Museum is a part of the palaces. It has a public walk and a place furnished with seats, and a large hall, in which the men of learning, who belong to the Museum, take their common meal. This community possesses also property in common; and a priest, formerly appointed by the kings, but at present by Cæsar, presides over the Museum..."
​
In France, the name Mouseion denotes "community of scholars brought together under one roof as it did the collection themselves."
​
It's thanks to the members of the Mouseion that such literary classics like Homer can still be read; members of the Mouseion ensured and strived towards the preservation and production of literature, scientific developments and history.
​
And what we know about the Library of Alexandria and the Mouseion runs parallel to libraries in the modern day.
​
As the Library of Alexandria attempts to connect the outside world, libraries in the modern day help connect those in the community.
​
The Northport-East Northport Public Library has a display board assembled in the middle of the library. On the top, its titled "What's Going on @ Your Library." On the board are the various events being held in or associated with the Northport-East Northport Public Library.
​
​
Click Anywhere to Zoom In
One sign reads "The Northport-East Northport Public Library is now offering discounted tickets to the American Museum of Natural History." Museum passes have become an underappreciated and underecognized staple to many libraries.
​
A vast majority of public libraries offer significant discounts to museuems, or sometimes, even free admission. The Northport-East Northport Public Library offers free general admission for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for up to 2 adults and accompanying children under 17.
​
The other boards showcase similar ways that libraries give back to the community. One of the posters showcases library programs occurring at the Northport-East Northport Public Library. One section reads "Communication & Interview Skills...A Long Island Cares New Paths to Achievement program manager will discuss goals and importance of an interview."
​
Another segment of the poster reads "Blood Pressure Monitors available to borrow from the library."
​
Richland County, Ohio, underwent a project to raise awareness for blood pressure monitoring and related health concerns. With collaboration from The Public Health National Center for Innovation (PHNCI), a division of the Public Health Accreditation Board, and Richland Public Health, the county set up a program getting libraries in control of blood pressure monitoring kits. At most libraries, all you needed was a library card.
​
While Richland County might not have been the first to implement this program, it did have great success.
​
Blood Pressure Monitoring kits showcase only a small importance of a larger point - technological accessibility.
​
By far the greatest assistance libraries provide is accessibility to technology. Equipped with printers, copiers, scanners, computers, and most importantly public wireless internet access has aided so many.
North Port Public Library has over 20 Computers available for use
Some libraries also have a Mobile HotSpot lending program, allowing patrons to take internet access anywhere they go.
​
For a vast majority of libraries all you need is a library card. No payment required at all.
​
And it's for that reason that libraries are so vital - free, public access to technology: A step toward technological (or digital) equity.
​
That was Danielle Paisley, director of the Patchogue-Medford library for over 5 years. But Paisley has been at the Patchogue-Medford library for over 20 years, starting as a Children's librarian.
​
For years the Patchogue-Medford library has strove to build a place for the community, and done so successfully. Below are a few of the programs and services set up for the community:
​
​
From a community fridge, to various donation efforts, the Patchogue-Medford library is vital to reach and help the community.
​
In 2010, the Patchogue-Medford library won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, a national honor awarding libraries and museums for making significant and exceptional contributions to the community.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
The National Medal for Museuem and Library Service published the following:
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
"...And at the library, the importance of com-
munity cannot be overemphasized. With a popula-
tion that is 24 percent Hispanic, the library sees
its charge as bringing quality programming to both
the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking com-
munities, combining the two groups for mutually
beneficial learning experiences whenever possible.
For children, bilingual story times are sometimes
the first experience they have hearing a language
other than the one spoken at home. At local Head
Start and Early Head Start centers, books in Eng-
lish and Spanish, bilingual literacy kits, activities,
and parenting materials are donated by the library
for children and their families. Teens meet at the
library’s Language Café to practice conversational
Spanish, with English-speaking teens learning from
their Spanish-speaking peers. These opportunities
provide Spanish-speakers with a self-esteem build-
ing opportunity, and help English-speakers work on
their language skills."
In 2008, Tragedy struck the Patchogue community. Marcelo Lucero was a Hispanic Immigrant killed by three teenagers, who were eventually convicted of hate crimes.
​
The National Medal for Museuem and Library service recognized the Patchogue-Medford Library's service in helping the community.
​
The strength and resolve of the Patchogue community inspired thousands.
​
As Paisley mentions, the library was a safe space for those feeling unsafe and grieving with the tragedy. It was a means for a community to reconnect within itself.
​
...
All of this is not to say that the library is not also a place for books - millions of individuals visit the library to read, immerse themselves in the pages of stories.
​
But the library is so much more than just a place for books. It is, at its heart, a community center, a place for those to gather, learn, share and tell stories.