Libraries as information centers are taking on new dimensions

The local library is a good homework center for students, who use the afternoon and evening hours to access information for reports and papers in school.

By Rozella Hardin
STAR STAFF
rhardin@starhq.com

   Libraries have always been places for learning. Today, libraries as learning places are changing, diversifying, taking on new dimensions. The Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library has already taken steps in that direction with computers and online data bases.
   "Books will always be a focus of the library. We will still be an information and resource center, but the difference will be in the way we access it," said Joyce White, director of the local library.
   As the tools for learning and products of scholarship change and become digital, libraries are becoming repositories for materials that go far beyond the traditional published print literature.
   The engagement of libraries with learning extends beyond established educational institutions and frameworks to lifelong learning. Pursuits such as genealogy, local history, consumer health, or financial planning are represented alongside more traditional academia.
   Libraries are beloved places because of the information contained within. The promise of digital technology makes valuable information available to more people with less effort. "We have had the Tennessee Electronic Library for some time, which is a wonderful resource, which can be used both at home and at the library," White said.
   She noted that the Watauga Regional Library, which is a network of libraries in Northeast Tennessee, makes it possible for libraries to share resources. "It's the link between the libraries," White shared.
   In the first half of the fiscal year (July through December 2003), library users in the six counties of Northeast Tennessee checked out 677,159 items. Latest registration figures show that 159,182 people have library cards. The combined collection (books, videos, CDs, talking books, etc.) for the libraries in the Watauga Region now stands at 800,908.
   The Elizabethton Library has 50,000 books on its shelves, and last year had a circulation of 124,000. In addition to books, the library repository contains periodicals, newspapers, videos, DVDs, books on tape and CDs. "We have people who come in daily to read the newspaper, especially the Wall Street Journal," White said.
   However, one of the biggest services offered at the local library is computers. "There are times when the computers are full, and there are people waiting to use them," said White. The Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library has 13 computers for use by the public. "We could use more, but we don't have space for more," the director said, noting that there is a limit of one hour per day for computer users. "Our efforts are directed toward making the computers accessible to everyone. We have people who are traveling, who will stop by to check their e-mail. We have people who job hunt on the computers, and we have students who do school reports on them," she said.
   White said the library staff hopes within the next year to increase the number of computers used as word processors. The library has been given a license by the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation to add Microsoft Word to the library's computers, which will enable them to be used as word processors as well as for research.
   Also, the Gates Foundation will make available to libraries such as the Elizabethton/Carter County Library another round of grants which can be used to replace and update computers given to the library through previous grants. "The Gates Foundation in the past has given the library $15,000 to $16,000 in computers and software. This time around, we will need local money to match the grants," White said. "The computers are one more tool that the library uses to help people access information."
   The local library has as a staff of nine employees -- six full time and three part time. "One of their duties is to help patrons access information," White said. As such, library staffers are becoming information technologists.
   White sees the library continuing to be a vital institution in the community as user needs and expectations increase and become more sophisticated. "Technological advances will continue to create demands for immediate access to information. Whether it be through books or the Internet, the role of the local library will be to meet that need," White said.
   The demand will be diverse. Resource sharing will be essential and universal, and staffing requirements will change. "We make changes as the demands change," said White.