Special Collections in Public Libraries

by Allison Westfall

Although it may come as a surprise to some, public libraries are far from gone; in the age of ever-expanding technology, public libraries have also evolved to continue to suit the needs of their patrons.  It started with recorded media (i.e. DVDs, CDs, BOCDs) and has evolved to public libraries having special collections of their own.

               E-book libraries have been rising in popularity.  E-book distributors like Overdrive and hoopla provide many public libraries with E-libraries to lend materials from.  E-books and E-audiobooks are widely used by patrons, particularly more elderly patrons.  These books stay in the E-library until either a certain number of months have passed, a specific number of loans have been made, or the library purchases the book on a loan by loan basis- buying the book again every time a new patron wants to read it.

               In addition to E-books, some public libraries offer other download or streaming services; in these libraries you can find movies, music, podcasts, and even cute new maker patterns to try your hands at.  The kinds of media offered vary widely by library and often include a number of informational pieces or records of the community.

               Although they’re sometimes met with some of the same scrutiny that movies were met with when they first came to public libraries, video games are now making their way into a few local collections.  The Canton Public Library has a reasonable collection of video games for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Consoles for kids and teens (though that isn’t to say that adults can’t check them out too.)  Video games in libraries may be a newer concept, but it certainly is becoming more popular.  While they’re only available in a select few public libraries, many universities have created academic libraries that loan out a vast collection of games and consoles, including games that are old on consoles that can be difficult to find.

               And last but certainly not least on this list are Libraries of Things (LoT).    You can check out a variety of supplies for leisure, learning, or even when your work just needs that extra piece of equipment that you’d really rather not buy for a single use.  These libraries offer anything from ladders to badminton to microscopes to sewing machines and most patrons borrow these items anywhere from six to fifty times a year.  While they require a well-funded public library, LoT are enormously popular in the public libraries they’ve been implemented in; the Ann Arbor District Library Tools Collection is evidence of this.

Public libraries have more than adapted to the age of technology.  If anything, they’re thriving in it.  Even libraries without the funding for vast new collections often lend out computer mice, phone chargers, disc readers, and other such devices for in-library use.  Public libraries are more dedicated than ever to suiting the needs of their patrons, and the situation is only likely to improve from here.