Mayor's Community Update - 05/11/2019
A special segment from our Public Library:
What is the role of a public library in a community? Public libraries serve as the primary agency in support of formal and informal education and recreation, providing resources and services to area residents and extending education into a process that lasts the length of the lifetime. Or simply put: lifelong learning. And public libraries have always been the pillars of lifelong learning.
Libraries are about knowledge, education, and, if everything falls into place, wisdom. Where does information fit in? Our world is filled with information – some accurate, some not so accurate, and some just plain wrong and downright dangerous. Information at the library can be found in books, microfilm, digital images, online databases, and the Internet. As far back as 1876, Melville Dewey knew that information was simply raw data that needed to be interpreted and organized. Organized data found in a library is knowledge. Wisdom occurs when knowledge becomes relevant in a specific context. The transformation of information to knowledge and wisdom has been taking place in libraries for over 100 years, and will continue to do so in the future.
Following the concept of lifelong learning, residents find a wide selection of organized information, from business and career information to consumer and government information. Area students find organized information on current topics to support their school projects and general interest information as they grow and learn. In our Wisconsin history section, residents find cultural awareness in genealogical resources including the histories of Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, along with several family histories. And, of course, many residents stop by regularly to check out the latest best-selling fiction and audiovisual materials.
The mission of the Waupun Public Library is to provide free and equitable access to quality services, resources, and lifelong learning opportunities through a variety of formats to meet the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs and interests of the community. How do we measure this? Statistics.
Like baseball, libraries keep an enormous amount of statistics. For example, in 1998 the number of physical materials checked out at our library was 81,175. In 2018, over 146,000 items were circulated, downloaded, or sent through interlibrary loan. Our traffic counter verified 69,247 people walking into the library in 2018. Other things we count are program attendance, hours of exam proctoring for residents working toward college degrees, Internet use, and wireless connections, among others. Analysis of these statistics is used to determine if we are fulfilling our mission.
From the time a parent brings in their new-born for picture books and enrolling in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program, our library will be there to support the educational needs of the child as they grow into adulthood. Although people eventually grow past formal education, the public library will continue to meet their educational needs throughout their lives. Public libraries have served and will continue to serve communities to make a better world for us all.
