Our view: Books and more

Mountain View's reopening coincides with a spirited drive by Anchorage library supporters to raise public and private money to refurbish and remodel the main Loussac Library in Midtown, the region's flagship library built a generation ago as part of Project 80s.

The world of information has changed since the mid-1980s and that change keeps accelerating. Computers and cell phones have put access to the Internet and a universe of knowledge spanning every pursuit and discipline known to humankind in the palms of people's hands.

So are libraries obsolete?

"Public libraries are more important than ever," said Sari Feldman, past president of the Public Library Association and director of Cuyahoga County Public Library in the Cleveland area. She was in Anchorage last week for the Mountain View opening and other library activities.

Yes, you'd expect her to speak up for libraries. But her reasons are sound, and she's been asked the question about public libraries' value all over the world.

Public libraries continue to do what they've done for generations -- provide what Feldman calls "equity of access." In an age when "information is not an option," but essential, libraries continue to be the "great equalizer." They provide computer availability and support to people who don't have them at home and struggle to use them.

In Alaska terms, Anchorage Public Library director Karen Keller described fishermen and cannery workers using library computers to apply for jobs at canneries and on trawlers.

At a time when 40 percent of companies require online job applications, people without computers and/or computer skills struggle -- and public libraries are there to help.

At a time when people are looking to both improve education and save money, access to books from an early age -- whether in print or digital, on page or screen -- is vital. Public libraries provide them.

At a time when a Web surfer can Google her way to 50,000 answers to her question, trained and experienced librarians can help her find the one answer she needs.

At a time when divisions seem to have grown greater in U.S. society, libraries remain strongholds of democracy for public meetings and civil discourse.

At a time when change is swift and sometimes shocking, libraries provide both the means to keep up and the sanctuary in which to slow down -- to read, study, work, relax or contemplate, amid a wealth of knowledge and learning and people trained to help us use and enjoy it.

Sue Urig of the Anchorage Library Foundation told last week of taking a Guatemalan friend to the library here and being asked, "Is this free?" That question reminds us of the value of what we sometimes take for granted -- this treasure of knowledge, ideas and open doors that none of us could afford alone but by which we all benefit.

BOTTOM LINE: In the Information Age, the Anchorage Public Library is a vital community investment.