Amy Lappin hears the question a lot. The Deputy Director of Lebanon Public Libraries has a quick answer: “All that you’ve told me by asking me that question is that you don’t go to libraries anymore, because libraries are so busy. Our libraries are so busy.”
They are busy with what you would expect, and with a lot you might not. People come for books and to use a meeting room or get on a computer. They also come because they need a hotspot to take home while they get internet set up in a new apartment. They come because it is hot outside, or cold, and the library is open. Nobody is going to question why they’re there.
“If you just need a place to shut your eyes for a few minutes, we get that,” Lappin said.
For people working with the Haven, the library often turns out to be part of the same day. Jake Ross, a Service Coordinator at the Haven, works with people in supportive housing across Lebanon. He estimates that about a quarter of the people on his caseload use the Lebanon library system regularly. People print documents there, manage their housing portal, communicate with landlords, and borrow hotspots to stay connected.
“The libraries in Lebanon provide a safe space where people can go and access these resources, or have a place to land outside of the elements,” Ross said.
Celeste Pfeiffer, Programming and Outreach Librarian at Lebanon Public Libraries, refers people to our Community Food Market regularly. “I know it’s open, I know people will be there, and I know people that know more than I do will be able to connect to this patron,” she said.
“Our role as a library is to open up space and hold it so that everybody has room to live,” Pfeiffer said.
When asked what she hopes for people coming through during a hard stretch, Lappin said, “We hope that’s a real moment in time for them. And once they go and they get more stable housing, we may see them again as a patron. But we hope we have helped them while they’re here.”
