Where can you go when you need to do research for your class, type a paper, or take an online workshop, and you do not have the financial means to purchase a computer or access the internet?

Where can you go when you want to master a new skill, get assistance filing your taxes, or learn a language?

Where can you go when a holiday or vacation has depleted your funds and your children are asking you to take them somewhere for entertainment and fun?

Where can you go if you hit a low point in your life, are unhoused and unemployed, and need a warm place to meditate and access resources that will help you get through the challenging moment you are going through?

The answer to all these questions is the often overlooked, invaluable resource in most of our communities – my second home, the public library. 

The reason we have public libraries today is the philanthropic efforts of Andrew Carnegie, who became one of the richest people in the world through the American steel industry. Carnegie invested a large portion of his wealth into building public libraries throughout the world. In total, between 1883 and 1929, Carnegie funded 2,509 libraries across the world, with 1,795 of these libraries in the United States. Connecticut benefited from Carnegie’s philanthropy, which established 11 libraries in the state, including the Bridgeport Public Library. 

There are approximately 178 public libraries in Connecticut. While most communities have a public library, only 61% of Americans aged 16 and older say they have a public library card

Our public libraries are a wealth of resources – and the truly tremendous thing is that they are free. Even with the increasing costs of rent, food prices, gas, and utilities in our nation, the public library has always been free and maintains a plethora of resources to meet the needs you or your family may have.

The public library has helped millions of people like myself get through many challenging moments in our lives, becoming the great equalizer in America. If you need any assistance, my second home has an open-door policy and welcomes everyone. It doesn’t matter your race, class, gender, age, or sexual orientation. It is a place that accepts and welcomes everyone.

I am from an underserved community in our state and have frequented the library my entire life. For 42 years of my life, I was unable to afford a computer. The library provided me access to a computer, internet, and other resources that I could not purchase on my own at the time.

Through this resource, I completed multiple college degrees and advanced in my personal and professional career. Furthermore, this resource enriched my life through access to arts and music programs, workshops, networking opportunities, and access to current and classic books. My story is similar to many others in our community.

For example, in 1989, Nyla Williams was a junior in high school and a frequent patron of the Hartford Public Library Albany Branch.  She spent many Saturdays at the library researching scholarships for college and writing essays. Williams said, “The library was a safe place. I could go and ask the librarians for help and for recommendations.” 

Now, Williams brings her son to the library to research and investigate his future career aspirations in marine biology. Just as the library was a resource for her as she navigated access to college, the library has become a resource for her 14-year-old son to develop his interests and career aspirations.

Anne Campbell, Adult Services Librarian at the Groton Public Library, says that a library card is a gateway to unbelievable access to the world. Not only does it give you access to highly trained staff who can support patrons in research and accessing the resources they need, Campbell shared that it brings connections and community. She views her role as an opportunity to help her community get the resources and information they need to flourish.

Many people are unaware of all the resources one can access with a library card at no cost: audiobooks, e-books, classes and workshops, internet access, job search mentoring, movies, language classes, book clubs, tax and financial workshops, educational toys, newspapers and magazines, comfortable meeting places and study rooms, gaming systems, media and video equipment, low-cost printing and fax services, museum passes, theater tickets, and so much more.

Madhu Gupta, Executive Director of the Public Library of New London, shared that they have staff at the library who help patrons write resumes and cover letters. They recently added notary services and a toy library for families to access to support their children’s need for play.

“We are working on creating a library of nontraditional items that people need – folding tables, bread maker, microscope, backyard games – items that people can check out and return with their library card,” she said.

She even mentioned that they will have sewing machines available soon for people to utilize through a recommendation that came from a library patron. 

Betty Anne Reiter, a retired librarian who worked at a variety of public libraries in her nearly 37-year career, truly believes the library’s mission is to transform lives, saying it should “be there for the community, grow with the community, listen to the community and what they need, and be the place where they feel comfortable sharing what they need and want.”

As a community, we must support our libraries and share with others the many resources that are available. Let’s ensure our libraries have the proper funding needed to continue offering the necessary resources to our community. Limiting the communities’ access to these resources would be an injustice.

As he Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

The library is a great equalizer in our community. With a library card, one has access to a greater world around them.

Do you have a library card? When was the last time you accessed your community’s library? Make a plan this month to visit your library, walk around, and see the resources that it offers. Don’t have a library card? Talk with the librarian to get yours —a ticket to my second home.

Kevin L. Booker Jr. is a member of the Connecticut Mirror’s Community Editorial Board.