The traditional public library model many of us grew up with has changed as patrons delve into all sorts of offerings currently archived on and off shelves. First turned into learning resource centers, they have become community focal points.
Libraries have been around for centuries, with most historians dating one of the first to King Ptolemy I of Egypt, a Macedonian Greek, who came up with the idea of the Library of Alexandria during his reign between 323 and 283 B.C. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., is the world’s largest.
A good example of the changing mission of libraries is the recent upgrade at the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee. The year-long “library reimagined” project had its grand reopening late last month.
Inside the library off O’Plaine Road, north of Washington Street, is now an interactive play area for young patrons, a brand-new space designed for middle schoolers and spots for adults with plenty of places to plug in laptops, tablets and phones. All this in addition to a range of multi-media and digitized collections for Warren-Newport Public Library District patrons residing in Gages Lake, Grandwood Park, Gurnee, Park City, Wadsworth, Wildwood and unincorporated Warren Township.
The “reimagined” library along O’Plaine Road comes at a time when many are questioning Americans’ commitment to their local libraries. Indeed, the August edition of The Atlantic magazine had a cover story with the dire headline: “The Age of Reading is Over.”
In the article, author Rose Horowitch reports some scary data from a survey by the National Endowment of the Arts finding that fewer than half the adults in the U.S. said they read a book of any kind in 2022. Only 38% read a novel or short story, while reading for pleasure has dropped dramatically.
This despite book stores thriving and an estimated 125,211 libraries of all kinds across the U.S., according to the American Library Association. The ALA counts 17,586 public libraries; 3,697 academic; school libraries in public and private schools at 98,506; armed forces, 225; government, 801. Included in the tally are 4,396 bookmobiles.
Gambling, Horowitch writes in The Atlantic, has become a favored leisure past-time for us with some 57% of Americans placing a bet last year. Guess that’s good news for Illinois gaming palaces.
Also replacing reading, including newspapers, is our addiction to electronic devices and the entertainment they provide. Which puts Warren-Newport Library District Executive Director Ryan Livergood ahead of the trend.
Livergood recently was named the 2026 recipient of the Illinois Library Association’s Robert R. McClarren Legislative Development Award, recognizing his leadership in advancing legislation to protect public libraries’ access to digital materials. He was recognized for his role as an advocate and catalyst for the Digital Library Protection Act, which unanimously passed the Illinois House this year.
More Top Picks Best Blue Light Glasses For College Students
The bill safeguards patron privacy, ensures fair acquisition terms, protects interlibrary sharing, and works to restore digital equity for the working families, students and underserved communities which often rely on digital lending as their primary means of access library collections, according to Livergood.
“My hope is that the bill moves to the Illinois Senate soon and is ultimately signed into law, because the way digital materials are licensed today makes it harder and more expensive for libraries to serve the very people who need them most,” Livergood said in a statement. The award will be presented to him at the ILA’s annual conference in early October in Peoria.
Livergood indicated that at the heart of the legislation is that when a library lends an e-book or audiobook, it does not own that title the way it owns a printed book. Publishers normally license digital titles under terms that expire after a set number of checkouts, after which the library must re-license the same title, often at a significant markup.
The result? Tax dollars which fund public libraries pay for an endless lease rather than a lasting collection. The cost of circulating a digital title runs several times higher than its print equivalent.
It’s a problem most library patrons probably never consider. That’s one of the jobs librarians do, making sure tax dollars are reserved for the best possible uses.
They also like to remind those still reading that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and that Banned Books Week is Oct. 4 through Oct. 10. Plan ahead so you can check out a book, e-book or audiobook from your libraries that some folks don’t want you to have access.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews