The Public Library and Community Outreach

Last week I visited the Van Gogh exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art. After a lovely afternoon wandering around the museum, we then walked across the street to the Richland County Public Library. My sister, Laura, who is the Assistant Director for Information Services at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Library, wanted to show us an example of the new age of public libraries which focuses on community outreach.

I was blown away. The Richland Library, with its dramatic and exciting architecture, is a public library in the heart of downtown Columbia. It offers 240,000 square feet of creative spaces to help patrons learn and grow while strengthening the connections that bring them together as a community. Some of their services include:

1- Business, Careers and Research Center (with access to computers, advice from a career coach, practice interviews, and resume assistance)

2- Makerspaces and Studios (offering free workshops such as woodworking,  jewelry-making, movie production)

3- weekly Farmers' Market

4- public art displays

5- cafe` 

6- auditorium and theater

7- Social Work Department (to help area residents seek reliable information on healthcare, housing and food) (they even host a flu clinic)

8- Children's Room/Teen Center

And then there was this genius idea:

9- Book Club Sets (in which you can check out multiple copies of a book to host a Book Club) 

The Richland County Public Library is beautiful, bright, clean, welcoming, and enlightening. The programs and services offered are amazing, and in an age which has seen the decline of the public library, the Richland Library is a shining example on how the public library can still be the heart and soul of a community.