I grew up surrounded by books. My mom is a school librarian, so my childhood was filled with trips to our local public library with my siblings, where I would scour each section and grab books by the armful. The librarians would call us the “Fifty Book Fergusons” because of all the books we checked out. The library also hosted events like used book sales and guest readers, like Lucy the “R.E.A.D.” Dog. My love for reading and writing came from the books I checked out here. I always looked back fondly on those memories roaming through the aisles, but I never truly appreciated the public library. We’re so lucky to have places like these at easy access, and it’s time we appreciate libraries not just as places for books but as community resources. 

Jessica Elias is the Community Learning Supervisor for Boston Public Library, where she coordinates services for “traditionally underserved patrons,” such as immigrants, low-income individuals, and unhoused people. 

“Libraries have become spaces that have really filled the gaps where social services have been cut,” she says.

These services include citizenship resources, technology training, career counseling, Narcan distribution, and Wi-Fi, among many others. While book checkout is still a large part of the library’s services, people like Elias recognize how certain groups have been pushed to the outskirts of society, left with no resources or way to get out of their troubles. For some, the library may be the only place they are accepted in their community and not thrown out or discriminated against.

“A lot of members of the community frankly felt invisible,” Elias says. “We wanted to make sure we were making people feel like valued members of the library by pursuing partnerships and programming and having resources.”

Much of Elias’s work constitutes partnerships with community organizations such as Pine Street Inn, Boston’s largest homeless shelter; Fenway Health; and Harvard Law School. These partnerships allow library staff to get a sense of what the community needs and how to get this information to them. BPL has also gone door-to-door at businesses from Forest Hills to Roslindale to ask what issues they’ve seen and how the library could help. In the pre-COVID warmer months, library staff have also taken out the Bibliocycle, a bike that would go to local events like farmers markets, to help people sign up for library cards, check out books, and do story times. They also post information in person in their branches in addition to online so internet access is no barrier.

BPL is even hiring a full-time social worker who will further their missions to provide accessible services to their patrons, particularly ones who may be struggling with housing, substance use, or mental health, since most staff aren’t trained in those departments. 

We all know we can go to the library to check out the latest trending book, but we may take for granted how libraries work at the frontlines of society to make the world more accessible and enriched. 

“We've survived, we've prospered, and most importantly, we've embraced change, especially with efforts to stay relevant with community and patron needs,” Elias says.