Debunking Library Myths
How are digital collections impacting library usage?
Dr. Sabrina Saunders
Library CEO
In recent months we have seen in the media questioning of the purpose of Libraries in a modern era. Myself, as your CEO, was a guest on The Agenda addressing just this topic in March. In order to provide more information about what your BMPL has and does for the community, we will be addressing this topic in this series of columns here in our newsletter. July’s Question: Are people leaving print and switching to digital? And if so, do we need a library? These two questions are an excellent start to our series. In a nutshell, Yes and Yes! BMPL has a significant collection in print with more than 29,000 items. If you have been in lately, you know our holds wait can be long. You may not know that our circulation of materials ranks in the top 3 against our library comparators. So we are in no danger of our physical collection gathering dust. Additionally, our Online Collections are sizable, with hundreds of thousands of items. There is so much that we could never hold all of these in the L.E. Shore, nor could we afford to buy these in print. Let’s look at our top 5 virtual collection points to answer this question: Libby (Overdrive), Hoopla, LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages, and the Consumer Reports.
Libby provides eBooks and audio books, as does Hoopla who also offers movies, and music. As people talk about switching to digital for reading purposes, the second half of the equation is typically missed by the media. Yes people are using electronic books, but where are they getting them from? They are downloading these materials through their library and not buying copies on their own. It is exciting as a librarian to look at our member lists and see that there are some community members who have never stepped foot into a branch, because they are using our Online Collections. I say fantastic because these are not a loss, they are a new user. Let’s look at the other users. Some of our community members have moved from book, to large print book and still have difficulties reading due to tremors, vision loss, ability to hold a book and these community members switch out of a necessity. Often in our time assisting community members find a book that is big enough, but not too heavy we recommend a switch for accessibility purposes and we and they are so happy that e-materials can fit the bill for them. Most digital users however, are hybrid users, reading print for some topics and using digital format for others. I personally love print and would never give it up, but there is something to be said about hearing a book read to you, by the author, that brings on that warm fuzzy feeling. So I would be considered a hybrid user.
LinkedIn Learning and Mango Languages are areas added in the past decade to library services and include training, education, and self-care. Yes, learning can be fun! Looking to upgrade for a job? LinkedIn Learning can assist with that newest version of Office. Want to visit Spain next spring? Learn Spanish in Mango Languages. Consumer Reports as a magazine was always an important product in libraries, but the online subscription is head and shoulders above the print. No more thumbing through magazine after magazine to find out about the product you are considering purchasing. Just search and find what you are looking for, and maybe a few things you hadn’t thought of.
So yes, people are using electronic collections, and yes, we still need libraries. In fact, your BMPL staff, as a result of our Online Collections, now offer twice as much content than in previous decades. But never fear. We have had libraries since the days of Alexandria and your libraries have always morphed to continue to be the information and knowledge centre for the community, providing content in formats that fit the needs of the community. I say bring it on! We as a staff continue to learn with you, and we are excited to be your guide throughout our physical branches and our virtual branch.
If you have questions you want answered about our services, please reach out to our CEO. Maybe your question will be featured in this series.
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