Community Libraries Provide Easy Access to People and Resources

Text by: Phoebe Yu

Edited by: Sam Ramos, Elana Baxter

Published: June 4, 2013, The Source

It’s a rainy spring morning in May, but a steady flow of people from various age groups and cultural backgrounds could already be seen going in and out of the Joe Fortes library on Denman Street. One such regular patron of this branch is Richard Bisson, who lives just across the street.

“I’m here several times a week,” he says. Bisson reads everything from novels to current events to poetry. Convenience is key for the retired court interpreter, as well as access to a wide variety of books in English, French and German. Although raised in English Canada, Bisson didn’t learn English until he was 12 years old. He is a native French-speaker, and also speaks German.

“This is a funnel, if you like, I can get everything here that I want,” he says, when talking about the kinds of books available in the library. Even if the French or German collections are incomplete, he can ask the library to order certain books for him.

Catering to the community

Susan Everall, a neighbourhood services manager for the Vancouver Public Library, says library collections reflect the community’s demographics and it’s their job to hone the collections according to public interest. Everall cites the Renfrew branch, where there is a large Chinese language collection to cater to the Chinese population in the area, as an example.

And as demographics shift, the libraries have to reflect that change as well. Everall explains that the government issues studies and projections every five years. She says the library staff follows those reports, and also carefully observes the library patrons and the overall neighbourhood for any demographic changes.

“Our communities are really different demographically and sometimes in their interest,” says Beth Davies, also a neighbourhood services manager. Everall and Davies both oversee the VPL branches throughout the city.

Shelves full of knowledge

The type of reading materials available depends on the language they’re in, and patrons’ cultural background and expectations. Many of the non-English sections are mainly recreational reading, says Everall. But she points out there’s a big Chinese population here, and so Chinese language books or DVDs are well used, and there’s demand for popular non-fiction, such as cookbooks or health books.

At the Joe Fortes branch, there is also an LGBTQ collection, also known as the “rainbow collection.” The librarian has traditionally been the one to select what goes into the LGBTQ section, says Davies.

But libraries have recently tried to engage the community in events or decision-making processes. Davies points out that librarians partnered up with Qmunity, an LGBTQ resource centre, and group members were directly involved in choosing books for the library’s collection.

“We build on the relationships that we have with our community partners to actually directly ask them, how do you see us changing and how can our collections change,” Davies says.

Davies adds that they’re doing a lot of community consultations for the Downtown Eastside Strathcona branch, currently in the works to open by 2015. It is anticipated to have both a large collection of Chinese and Aboriginal materials, due to a high population of Chinese seniors and Aboriginal people in the area.

Creating a space beyond words

Still, other community engagement initiatives involve programs aimed at getting youth to read more and use the library. At the Renfrew branch, which is close to residential areas and surrounded by a lush park, Everall says that the library partnered with the Renfrew Community Centre to design a camp for teens last year. This year, they’re focusing on elementary kids, with programs such as the summer reading club.

“I think libraries are the centre of the community in so many ways,” says Davies. She believes that the library has become more of a people space than a space for just books. It has become like a third space between home and school, suggests Davies.

Everall agrees. She believes that libraries are social, educational and recreational places, where everybody has access.

“A lot of people come in with their laptops, and they spend hours in the library and it’s not necessarily because they don’t have Internet access at home. Sometimes, it’s just the social feeling and wanting to be around people,” Everall says.

When it comes to smaller community branches, Everall suggests that some people prefer the smaller space, where they don’t feel overwhelmed.

And just like going to your neighbourhood grocery store, Davies believes that community libraries also provide a sense of familiarity, where friends and neighbours can bump into each other.

For a regular like Bisson, the library is a place that keeps us informed because reading shapes our ideas, our culture and our way of thinking. Although he doesn’t participate in library events, he contends that the Joe Fortes branch serves the community well, and he’s happy if they provide events for the community.

“I think of most places around here as extensions of my apartment,” he says. “It’s a community library, it feels like a community library and I find that very pleasant.”