Recently, there’s been a surge in the development of electronic books and their accessibility online.
Between Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s i-pad, one must wonder where the traditional book and the traditional library will fit in.
“There is not that big of a change in libraries. Indeed, books are changing a bit, but will never go away. They will always be around one way or another,” said Todd Gnissios, director and CEO of Lethbridge Public Library.
“Google is great when the needed information was small, but people will always come to the library for major research. They will be able to get access to library databases, journals, newspapers, Wikipedia, and other useful information that can only be found in the public library. All the libraries in Canada are well structured with all the new technologies.”
Because libraries are public services, they try to focus energy and resources to fit a particular community, whether it’s a small or big city.
The Lethbridge Public Library offers many different kinds of services and very informative programs for children, teens, adults and seniors. Not only do they offer these programs, they also help other businesses in the community through promotion and support.
The programs at the Lethbridge Public Library are well structured and each program has their own monthly calendar.
The children’s programs include Stories and Staff, Spelling Mini-Bee, Study Sessions and many more.
The library also hosts the Bookmobile, a popular attraction for children. It allows the Lethbridge Public Library to connect with students, families, and communities.
It has many stops throughout Lethbridge and offers a link for those who may not be able to come to the main library and use all the services and collections.
The Lethbridge Public Library recently got access to an e-book reader. It is an electronic device, designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals and uses e-ink technology to display content to readers.
On a regular basis, Gnissios attends meetings in Edmonton regarding the library and discusses the changes, new technologies and exciting new programs for all ages.
He said these kinds of meetings always help to develop new programs that help to advance libraries in Canada.