In a world of mobile technologies and eBooks you may think that a library is a quaint thing of yester-year. However, physical bookshelves aren't necessarily at odds with their electronic brethren. Libraries offer a breadth of services beyond what your Kindle can do as well as embracing eReaders and mobile apps.
Greenpoint Friends are a volunteer run, library advocacy group looking to expand its membership and increase its impact within the community. New "Friends" getting involved with library work will have an opportunity to promote the local library’s resources and programs in the neighborhood and witness for themselves how applications such as Overdrive are keeping libraries at the forefront of learning in the internet age.
I contacted Mary McGregor, a Greenpoint Friend and an aspiring librarian, to get her take on why libraries still count in this era. The Friends of the Greenpoint Library provided Mary with an avenue to contribute to the neighborhood she fell in love with as well as introducing her to a group of inspiring librarians who work in "schools, public libraries, museums and even out of their apartments!" She believes that libraries are essential "to protecting and promoting access to information [financially as well as physically] while protecting users from censorship and misinformation to the best of their ability".
Not all "Friends" are librarians - anyone with a talent or skill can be of great help to furthering library work. If you have event planning, budgeting, programming, writing or project management experience there is room for you. Furthermore, you may just find a new circle of friends. Or, perhaps like Mary, you may enjoy it so much that you enroll in Library School!
If you're interested in learning more - meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at the Greenpoint Branch of Brooklyn Public Library at 7:00 PM. You can also find more information on Mary's blog.
