National Library Month, which takes place in April, is a nationwide observance that highlights the essential roles of libraries, librarians, and library workers. Overall, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of what libraries bring to the community, whether it’s reading a book, joining an organization that’s interesting, or just providing someone who needs a quiet place to relax and work. Lise Mitchell, the library director at the Grand Ledge District Library, shares her thoughts on why libraries are beneficial.
“The library is the one place that you can go to where nobody’s trying to sell you something. In the Michigan Constitution, you’re allowed to go into any public library in the state of Michigan, So wherever you go in the state, you can go in, you can sit down, you can pull out a book and you can sit down and you can read. And most of the public libraries across the state of Mission are going to have public Wi-Fi. So you can sit down, you can get on a device, you can relax, and nobody’s there saying, you know, buy a Coke,” Mitchell said.
At the Grand Ledge District Library, workers and librarians strive to not only help customers who come in, but also students, teachers, and other outside individuals who need help and want to learn. The library has an immaculate range of programs that are designed for anyone, including kids, teenagers, or adults who seek to find new majors. The district library also provides a summer reading program for high school students who are interested in maintaining a goal for reading outside of school.
“So in a public library, we work with schools, we work with seniors, and we work with kids and families. On any given day, I can be working with SciStarter, and we’re doing science education. Then the next day, I’m working with seniors, and we’re helping them figure out how to understand Medicare better. It all works together so that they’re reading and they’re learning. There are so many ways to be creative, and so every day my job is a little different,” Mitchell said.
Overall, making connections towards the library community is an important aspect in National Library Month, and it’s good to recognize how much they impact our society.
“For the National Library week, I guess we would just encourage people to maybe try a resource that they haven’t tried before, try a book that they haven’t, maybe a genre that they haven’t tried before. Spring is a great time to just try something new, whether it’s science or poetry or whatever. There’s just so much that the library can offer, and we’re certainly here to help,” Mitchell said.
