By: Adam Sockel, OverDrive’s Social Media Specialist

 

During April, we are proud to celebrate National Library Week, a time dedicated to the sheer awesomeness that is the librarian. Of course, celebrating “librarian love” is something we do every day here at OverDrive but National Library Week provides a special ability to raise awareness of how great our partners are. In fact, there has never been a more important time to celebrate the importance of librarians.

Librarians provide not just access to endless knowledge but they also know how to help you find the books, programs and answers you’re actually looking for. They provide readers’ advisory, run community programs, offer technical support and so much more. As the initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) states, librarians and libraries aren’t going anywhere, rather they’re transforming.

 

2Throughout 2016, the ALA is promoting their Libraries Transform campaign to raise public awareness of the fact that libraries aren’t simply “nice to have” but that they’re essential to a thriving community. At the heart of these buildings full of knowledge are the librarians and staff who work there. Libraries Transform aims to bring to the forefront important facts like learning to read leads to reading to learn, and programs like story time at the library help create imagination and support brain development. Libraries are a place that the quarter of U.S. households who don’t have a computer or an internet connection can come to get knowledge and assistance. They’re also a place you can bring your favorite Starbucks order and get help developing a new business proposal or even just dive into your favorite book series.

3Librarians and libraries aren’t disappearing. They’re evolving and remain a critical lifeline within our communities. This month, lets take some time to get inspired by the transformation these institutions continue to undergo. Librarians are the heartbeat of not just the library but of everything we do here at OverDrive. We’re proof of what Libraries Transform represents and we couldn’t be more proud of that fact.