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July 22, 2010

Margate library broadens role in community

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
By THOMAS BARLAS, Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |

The Margate City Public Library is much more these days than a place to take out a book.

Library officials say the facility is continually changing into something more like a community center, where people meet regularly, make friends and discuss a variety of topics.

The situation didn't happen by chance: Library Director Jim Cahill said there has been a steady push by staff to make the library more than people expect.

So far, he said, it is working: Everything from the children's story hour to meetings by self-help groups are stretching the building's capacity, and making more people want to use the library.

"We're a community center," Cahill said. "We're a social meeting place. This is an area where people come for community involvement."

Cahill calls his library "the great equalizer," where people from diverse backgrounds are rediscovering what a library has to offer.

"There was a feeling at some point, as people had computers at home, there would be little use for libraries," he said. "But what we're finding is that people are looking for human contact."

And the Internet has not sounded the death knell for libraries - it has given people greater access to libraries than ever before, and people are taking advantage of that around the clock.

"If it wasn't for computers in the library, we wouldn't see the increase," Cahill said.

The library has also put extensive work into its website. Not only does it provide information about the library, but it has links city government and city activities.

Sometimes, that has unintended consequences - such as the library being a place people turn to when they have a problem that needs to be solved by city government.

"I can't tell you how many calls we get about what department they should call," librarian Gwen Meade said.

One thing that library officials said is also attracting attention at the facility is something called "The Great Courses." These are audio books and DVDs of topics - broad and narrow - taught by college professors.

The topics are varied, including "The Story of Human Language" and "The United States and the Middle East."

Meade said the series is popular with people who want extra help on some college or high school courses, or who are just trying to broaden their knowledge of different topics.

"It attracts new people" to the library, Meade said. "It's a very, very big hit, and its appeal is growing."

The library has 12 employees, six of whom are working on their master's degrees. Most of the degrees are related to library services.

"That's really surprising for a library of our size," Cahill said.

Cahill said the library plans to continually evolve to serve more people, and provide an even more diverse plate of activities.

"We're not a quiet library anymore," Meade said. "It's not about shush."

Contact Thomas Barlas:

609-226-9197

TBarlas@pressofac.com

Posted by tumulty at July 22, 2010 9:22 AM

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