The library challenge … changing to meet your needs!
By Jimmie Epling
Director
Darlington County Library System
The greatest challenge a public library faces today is how to meet the expectations and demands of a diverse, vibrant, and ever changing community. Darlington County is one such community. To do this, the Darlington County Library System must be attuned to the pulse of the community and be ready to change to its needs.
When the typical person hears the word “library” it conjures up visions of shelves upon shelves of books. In reality, we are about reading and, to a lesser extent, about listening and seeing. Not so long ago, all libraries could offer were books, newspapers, magazines, and “LPs” (“long playing” vinyl discs. The CDs of their time). As the way our customers access information and entertainment is continually changing, we have and are changing too!
All the technologies commonplace today will be replaced by something new in time, with some being sooner than others. To meet your needs, we must be flexible and able to adapt our collections, program, and services.
The LP disappeared from our collection decades ago. It was replaced by the CD. Now CDs are fading away in favor of downloadable tracks! The 16mm film (with its noisy projector) was supplanted by the VHS tape (which has nearly disappeared from our collection). The DVD replaced the VHS tape, which demand for is now declining due to streaming video services.
The Library’s once huge collection of reference books and magazine back issues have given way to Internet accessible database collections, like South Carolina’s Virtual Library, DISCUS! Our “Digital Branch” at www.darlington-lib.org offers you free 24/7 online access to these databases that offer millions of magazines, newspapers, and reference book articles with any device that can access the internet.
Technology allows you to read or listen to tales from your favorite authors on your personal devices, such as smartphones, e-readers, tablets, and more. You are no longer limited to reading what you like in hardback, paperback, or large print format. If you have a Nook, Kindle, tablet, or smartphone, you can get an e-book version of what you want to read wherever and whenever you like. If the tale gets made into a movie, the Library will supply you with the DVD version. We also have e-versions of over thirty popular magazines as well. Technology allows you to conveniently have what you want in a format that fits with your busy lifestyle. Our ongoing challenge is to serve you in a fast and convenient way.
A decade or so ago, who would have imagined how connected our community and lives are to the world today. We instantly know, whether we want to know or not, what is happening in the lives of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others from around the world within minutes, if not seconds, after it happens. Connectivity to the world is no longer a luxury for many of us, it is a necessity.
The challenge for us is finding ways to make accessing the world more convenient for you. Government agencies, social organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and others are increasingly turning to the Internet as the only conduit through which they will deliver services, accept applications, and educate those wanting to learn. The Library for many in our community is the only available free and convenient access point to the internet. This is why the Library offers free access to the Internet through our public computers, WiFi access, and “Internet to Go” WiFi hotspot loan program.
Our “Digital Branch” at www.darlington-lib.org is your 24/7 gateway to a unique online library of thousands of books, magazines, and audiobooks for all ages. It hosts the vetted research resource collection, DISCUS, which Google can’t match for reliability. You will find over 500 free online classes in business, the arts, languages, and more at the “Digital Branch.” There are even test preparation materials for the GED, ASVAB, SAT, ACT, GRE, and more in the Digital Branch. Lastly, our online catalog of everything we have in our collections, as well as those items you can borrow from our partner libraries in the Palmetto Consortium, is there.
When you see our four buildings, Darlington, Hartsville, Lamar, and Society Hill, we want you to think of us as a welcoming, interesting, and exciting place for all. We are always seeking ways to improve what we offer to make the Library an integral part of the community and your life. It is a cultural center place for exhibits, writing and arts/crafts classes, speakers, and programs for all ages. In addition to the children’s story time and summer reading programs, we offer a variety of informational programs, computer assistance, book discussion groups, and more. Check our website and each location’s Facebook page for the latest program announcements. The Library is the community’s meeting place, offering free meeting space at all four of our locations.
The Library is not what it was two, ten, or twenty years ago. It is different because it must change to meet and exceed your expectations. Our challenge is to give you the best the collections, programs, and services possible through our buildings and the Internet. While the staff of the Library is creative, resourceful, talented, and innovative, we can’t imagine everything you and the community will find useful. The only way we can meet the challenge of giving you and the community an exceptional library is with your help.
Challenge us with your suggestions, ideas, and wish lists!