What is a library? The answer to that question is changing on Long Island and around the world.
It can mean open-air designs, podcasting studios, or spaces to participate in video conference sessions, as detailed in a recent Newsday article about changes to the Island’s school libraries.
Similar shifts have happened in the region’s public and higher-level academic libraries, too. That includes “makerspaces” where a patron can learn engraving or 3D printing, or the ability to check out cameras or laptops. There are privacy pods and airy spaces with picturesque coastline or street-level views. Sometimes — as with the Nassau County public library system’s recently unveiled Techmobile — the library is even on the move, with an updated version of the old “bookmobile” that now brings with it Wi-Fi, iPads, video gaming, and tech help.
The idea is to meet patrons where…