Anyone here remember the movie, “Short Circuit 2?” In it, a naive robot, who thinks he is alive, is obsessed with collecting “input” or knowledge. As a middle school teacher, I identify with the character. Check out this scene from the movie in which the robot comes face to face with a massive bookstore, a treasure trove of input:

Certainly Capital Area District Library (CADL) provides input-seekers young and old with a vast array (terabytes!) of input. However, the CADL system doesn’t just offer media for borrowing and enjoyment. The CADL system is helping young children, teens, and adults stay mentally active year-round, especially in the summer months. The libraries offer scheduled group reading activities, song and dance, story-time events, live theater, family movies and a lot more. Check out all the summer activities here.

This video explains how programs, like those CADL offers during the summer, should be developed help fill the summer learning void:

As an educator, I concentrate on helping students develop the skills to be contributing members of a community. The library is a perfect place to practice using those skills. The library is a safe, comfortable and respectful place where community members can interact with one another, share knowledge and thoughts, be entertained and discover new things. It’s also a great equalizer, with free membership that allows all people access to its many resources, including free Internet.

The library system is maintained through civic support in many forms, especially the millage, which is up for renewal in the August 3 primary election. I encourage you to join me in showing our young people how as a community, we can participate in the political process to declare our support for the library system. Remember that scene from Short Circuit 2? “See those guys right there? They want to take your books away!” Let’s not be those guys and vote “Yes” to renew the CADL millage.

Mike Vasas is a Lansing resident who teaches middle school music.He runs a music blog project at http://songsnotbyme.com

In April 2010, The American Library Association reported that public libraries have had a 17% increase in utilization since 2006. So, as a librarian I am always a bit perplexed when people inquire as to what my next career will be now that everyone has a home computer and eBook devices are all the rage. Libraries no longer matter, right?

Many households do have a computer, however patrons tell me that due to the economic climate they no longer subscribe to an internet service. People often tell me that they would rather come to the library where they can get assistance when they have a question about the validity of a source, require help accessing an online job application or unemployment forms, how to download the correct tax form, advice on the best way to sort different Excel columns, guidance on faxing something over the Internet, or an overview on one of the many digital photo sites. So much for home computers making libraries obsolete.

eBook devices have been highly overrated. For every one person who asks me about the pending doom for libraries thanks to new technologies proliferating the market I have ten people comment that they cannot afford an eBook reader, much less all the titles they would need to purchase for it. The majority of people primarily want a physical and tangible object that they can carry, that has a front cover and a back cover, pages to flip, a use for that special bookmark, or a book that can be read without adjusting for backlighting, font size, etc. Of course, even those patrons who swear by ‘old school’ books benefit from the occasional free downloadable audio books and e-readers available at the library – after all, it is rather taxing to take 20 hardcover books on vacation.

If you regularly follow our blog, you must know by now how valuable libraries are to their communities. You also understand that the Capital Area District Library has a question on the August 3 ballot asking people in the CADL service area (the vast majority of Ingham County) to renew their existing millage. In all honesty, they’re not asking for a lot – just a straight renewal of their 1.56 mills.*

Ok, back to my point. If this election fails – if the CADL millage does not pass – ALL OF THEIR LIBRARIES WILL REALLY CLOSE.

*Take a look at the Library Use Value Calculator to see just how much you’re paying and how much you’re saving using the library.