The value of public libraries is immeasurable in the era of book banning and misinformation. Libraries are information centers and community hubs that offer everyone free access to resources. This summer, I had the opportunity to work at The Cornelius Whitney Vanderbilt Long Lake Public Library (CWVLLPL) in Hamilton County, NY, and witnessed firsthand the essential role it plays in the community.
The Long Lake Library’s mission is to support life-long learning and meet community needs through programming, collections, and services. The library’s legal service area has a population of 576 people, which includes the Towns of Long Lake and Newcomb, and it welcomed 8,405 visitors in the 2022-23 year. Hamilton County has a population density of three people per square mile and is the least densely populated county in the state. The small population highlights the importance of the library as a place for socializing, particularly for older residents.
The library addresses many of the most pressing challenges for rural areas, including access to high-speed internet, food insecurity, and low school enrollment (56 K-12 students enrolled in 2022-23 at the Long Lake Central School). The library services include a farm-to-library program, seed library, printing, desktops, and consultation with library staff. Library programs range from a weekly knitting group to author talks, book discussions, and live music. Its collections feature 9,873 books and 12,008 electronic books, focusing on the Adirondacks and art.
My role is to help fill the void of a summer reading program and address the community's achievement gap and summer learning slide. I designed and led the summer reading programs, which included three weekly events: crafternoons, storytimes, and infant hangouts. The Long Lake population triples during the summer, so the library staff is interested in learning who attends the kids programs. I collected data about the participants and gathered feedback to improve programs for future years. Whether making pipe-cleaner butterfly rings, painting rocks, or reading about Pete The Cat, more than 25 kids attended summer reading programs this summer, and many of them returned week after week.
I also conducted a community-based research project to assess how the Long Lake Public Library fulfills its mission and determine the community's perception of the library. I administered a survey with 17 questions about user habits, motivations, and suggestions for improving library services, collections, and programs. The results will inform future library programs and help the library demonstrate its value and effectiveness to the broader community.
While the data collection is still in progress, the preliminary results highlight the library's diverse role in the community. Out of 14 respondents, 46% use the internet at the library, 83% consult with library staff, 73% value the welcoming and accessible environment, and 75% think the library's greatest strength is the friendly staff. The initial analysis indicates no one-size-fits-all approach to library usage, and overwhelmingly positive feedback and support for the library. The impact of the library extends beyond literacy (83% are motivated to visit the library to check out books and DVDs) to social well-being (56%) and community-building.
Through many hours spent observing the day-to-day library operations, I’ve witnessed how the library acts as a community hub. People flow in and out of the space daily, using services and resources to fit their needs, ranging from social interaction to education, telehealth care, and kids programming. While I was already a big supporter of public libraries before I began this role, I became even more aware of the value of public libraries, especially as they advance equitable access to resources and engage with the community. I also built skills in program design and implementation, creativity, and research.
I recently graduated from Colgate with a Chinese major and a Peace and Conflict Studies minor. Throughout my college experience, I became passionate about community engagement while working at the Climbing Wall, Longyear Museum of Anthropology, the Office of Sustainability and Colgate Community Garden, and researching the New York State Climate Smart Communities Program. My experience at the Long Lake Library deepened my understanding of community engagement and resilience in rural areas and reinforced my appreciation for public libraries as community centers.