California libraries - where the action is:
"Libraries are 'one of the last great civic spaces in our society,' as Berkeley librarian Jack Baur aptly puts it - a place where anyone can read the newspaper, check e-mails, do homework or just sit and enjoy a safe and quiet space."
The traditional role of libraries as repositories and purveyors of print materials is shrinking in this digitalizing age. Like newspapers, libraries are trying to figure out how to reinvent themselves beyond the world of hard-copy print. One way they're doing that is to enhance their role as community gathering places. In libraries throughout the state, there's an increased emphasis on providing stimulating programs for people of all ages.
The new library is a kind of community living room, a welcome oasis in an era of social isolation.
The Lafayette Public Library is taking a bold step in that direction on Saturday when it officially opens its sprawling new quarters, a $46 million facility that's a combination library and learning center. The Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium will feature programs from a dozen Bay Area organizations, including the Oakland Zoo, St. Mary's College and the Lawrence Hall of Science. On opening day, the Chabot Space & Science Center will help kids build rockets they can launch into a simulated version of outer space. On Dec. 1, the Commonwealth Club will bring in political satirist Will Durst.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/08/INJK1ACL2S.DTL#ixzz0WHGm2EXy
"Libraries are 'one of the last great civic spaces in our society,' as Berkeley librarian Jack Baur aptly puts it - a place where anyone can read the newspaper, check e-mails, do homework or just sit and enjoy a safe and quiet space."
The traditional role of libraries as repositories and purveyors of print materials is shrinking in this digitalizing age. Like newspapers, libraries are trying to figure out how to reinvent themselves beyond the world of hard-copy print. One way they're doing that is to enhance their role as community gathering places. In libraries throughout the state, there's an increased emphasis on providing stimulating programs for people of all ages.
The new library is a kind of community living room, a welcome oasis in an era of social isolation.
The Lafayette Public Library is taking a bold step in that direction on Saturday when it officially opens its sprawling new quarters, a $46 million facility that's a combination library and learning center. The Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium will feature programs from a dozen Bay Area organizations, including the Oakland Zoo, St. Mary's College and the Lawrence Hall of Science. On opening day, the Chabot Space & Science Center will help kids build rockets they can launch into a simulated version of outer space. On Dec. 1, the Commonwealth Club will bring in political satirist Will Durst.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/08/INJK1ACL2S.DTL#ixzz0WHGm2EXy