Introduction

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If your memory of "the library" is "that building down the street where we used to borrow books when we were kids," it’s time for a new visit. Times have changed, and libraries have kept up every step of the way—in many cases leading the way.

While you can still borrow books, today’s libraries are resource and community centers, widely used and enthusiastically supported by a growing proportion of Americans. In a survey conducted early this year, 36 percent of Americans put the benefits of libraries at the top of the public services list, a six-percentage point increase from 2002.

The social conscience of libraries and librarians also has been in the spotlight in the past year as the American Library Association (ALA) defended citizens’ privacy rights and took a leadership role in responding to the worst natural disaster ever to strike the nation. The ALA’s early affirmation of its plans to hold its Annual Conference in New Orleans this June is an important vote of confidence in a city that is struggling to come back—and a significant and very public act of good citizenship.

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