Photo: Richland Library
The Richland Public Library in Columbia, South Carolina, is a national leader in reimagining the library's place in the community. It has a teaching kitchen, as well as a fully equipped woodworking shop, seed library and "library of things." Career counselors help job seekers, and social workers help homeless people and the food insecure."We think of our spaces as places to learn, to share, to create, and we create quiet spaces and let the rest of the library just be vibrant and active," says executive director Melanie Huggins. Developing innovative ways to stay relevant is now a national trend. The main library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has a sound booth where people can record their own albums. In Chicago, vending machines are stocked with free supplies, from hygiene kits to Narcan. "There's nobody else doing this work," says Huggins.
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