Mary Frances Cooper: Keep your library ‘free to the people’
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When I assumed the role of president and director of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Jan. 1, 2012, my goal was to become a champion for the ever-changing and increasingly important responsibility that public libraries have in our society. Now, as I prepare to leave this organization I’ve come to call home, I want to call on residents to rediscover what they love about their own public library.
Pittsburghers do love their library. I know this because on Nov. 8, 2011, more than 70% of City of Pittsburgh voters approved a special tax to provide dedicated funding for the maintenance and operation of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. On that day, the people of Pittsburgh spoke and demonstrated that they not only want but are willing to financially support the library and the critical services it provides.
Throughout history, libraries have provided communities with the opportunity to connect with literature and culture. Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, believed that with access to books, reading and self-directed learning, people could be anything they want to be. I see this every day. Patrons speak fondly of childhood trips to the library and checking out books with their very own library card. Newcomers to the city tell us the library was the first place they came when they were new in town and how they found a community within the building walls. We receive countless cards and emails thanking staff for their assistance — a patron who found a job, a student who received an A+ on his homework assignment or a caregiver grateful for our digital resources that help a family member who can no longer hold a printed book continue her love of reading.
I always say that the library is something we all do together. “Free to the people” — the adage etched above the doors at our main branch — is a daily reminder that it takes all of us to keep vibrant neighborhood-based services, including reading programs for children and families, job search assistance, and digital access, available to residents of all abilities, skills and backgrounds.
During the last decade, we have expanded services for teens, introduced lending of laptops and mobile hotspots, renovated our neighborhood locations, and introduced new collections such as STACKS, a digital music streaming platform to document Pittsburgh’s music community. Together we have helped transform Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh from buildings that are repositories for books into gathering places for anyone looking to learn something new.
Our newest addition, RAD Pass, is an online ticket lending system that gives cardholders from any of Allegheny County’s 46 public libraries access to some of the region’s vast array of cultural assets. Being able to experience the art, culture and history living right in our own backyard has been a luxury for many in our community. RAD Pass helps make our region’s cultural resources more accessible to everyone.
Thank you, Pittsburgh! We have built so much together.
This past year has tested us, but we didn’t let it beat us. As a society we learned a lot about the luxuries we often take for granted. Our 125th anniversary celebration kicked off during this pandemic, which is in some way fitting, because during this time so many people found that they needed their library more than ever.
Never take the library for granted. Your library will be “free to the people” because we all work together to make it so.
Mary Frances Cooper will retire as president and director of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh at the end of the year.