My first thought for this assignment was that I surely had to just do something in Archives. That’s my focus, after all. But archives – at least, my archives – are based out of the public library and that as a whole is facing a crisis of irrelevancy. People have no ‘use’ for the library; after all, they can access eBooks and audiobooks instantly, or have a physical book delivered in a day or two via online retailers. In the past, the library was just that; books. But that was in a time when books were the main form of entertainment and education in the world.

As times as have changed, the library must change with them. The library has long been a place of service; finding books, finding answers, finding resources. In this economy where a living wage is barely obtainable, we have to find a way to continue to be of service by providing more than what some people may want; we have to provide what most people certainly need. Job prep, computer classes, resume building, entrepreneurship training, financial benefits access and more. Making ourselves indispensable is the only way that libraries will continue to thrive.