A Place for Everyone at the Public Library
- Erin Gambrill
- Jun 27, 2025
- 3 min read
In almost every town, or city, or county in the United States, there is a place where literally anyone can walk through the doors, regardless of age, gender, skin tone, religion, financial status, identity, etc. and they have access to a world of stories, resources, services, and friendly faces, all for free. I am, of course, talking about the public library.
The public library is a critical part of every community, but perhaps especially so for children and youth. Libraries across the country strive to have books on their shelves that, as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop coined in her seminal 1990 essay Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors:
“are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.”
Studies show that building social-emotional skills, such as empathy, can lead to academic success...but more importantly, it ushers in a kinder, more compassionate, more diversely rich world. Reading, especially multicultural stories written by a person of that culture, can help instill empathy in children and youth. According to Raymond Mar from York University in Toronto, “the empathy we feel for book characters wires our brains to have the same sensitivity towards real people." As empathy is a learned skill, and not one that we are necessarily inherently born with, making an effort to read books filled with characters who do not share your background is incredibly important.
In addition to books on shelves, public librarians also seek to fill their events calendars with programs that celebrate the many different cultures and people that fill their communities. In my own experience, at Frederick County Public Libraries, we very often partner with local organizations such as the Asian American Center of Frederick, Centro Hispano, the African American Resources Cultural and Heritage Society, and many more, to have them help facilitate programs for our children, teens, and families. We are committed to making sure that everyone who walks through our doors feels welcome, seen, appreciated, and that they belong in this space that is theirs.
As our community grows and changes, we seek to grow and change with it. That may look like adding to our World Languages collection, making sure that every poster, flyer, and social media post we produce is in both English and Spanish, and strengthening our outreach efforts in the community to meet people where they are. We are excited to learn other ways in which we can look through a multicultural lens as we discover how to best help people meet their needs.
Our libraries are strongest when they consider the voices and experiences of all patrons, and, for most of this country, that looks like a beautiful, thriving, diverse collection of materials, resources, programming, and services. We hope to see you walk through our doors very soon!
Sources cited:
Bishop, R. S. (2015, January 3). Mirrors, windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf
Mar, R. A., & Oatley, K. (2009, January 1). Exploring the link between reading fiction and empathy. https://www.yorku.ca/mar/Mar%20et%20al%202009_reading%20fiction%20and%20empathy.pdf
For National Summer Reading Programs, please visit:
Collaborative Summer Learning Program (CSLP): https://www.cslpreads.org/
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