By Dan Galway
Ponoka Jubilee Library manager
Panos Mourdoukoutas, a professor of economics at Long Island University recently penned an article in Forbes that posed the question Should Amazon Bookstores Replace Public Libraries?
From there, librarians and library patrons all over the world answered his preposterous question with facts and figures, real life examples and what equated to a digital tongue-lashing. It seems prudent to respond to this question with some of what Ponoka Jubilee Library does that no bookstore ever could.
At the Ponoka Jubilee Library, you’ll find a vibrant community centre, where visitors can enjoy a plethora of services that address the needs of our patrons. We offer kids programs for all ages, from preschoolers to tweens to teens: We run story times weekly with fun stories, songs and crafts to encourage children’s literacy, Lego Club and Maker Madness which create opportunities for creativity and the development of science, technology, engineering and math skills, Anime and Manga Club which is a flurry of discussion for those interested, kids film screenings and more.
And don’t forget about our Summer Reading Program, in which we have currently registered over 160 kids, tweens and teens from the Town of Ponoka, Ponoka County and Maskwacis. We also offer adult programs in the form of our Life Stories program, Board Game Café, where patrons can socialize with each other and enjoy our great selection of table-top games, documentary screenings monthly, free technology and digital literacy training and help.
We also offer meeting space for community organizations, free Wifi and public computers to anyone who comes through our doors.
What about our core mission? We provide information free of charge to those who seek it – from research help to reader’s advisory assistance, to creating representative collections that serve community need. We are a third space in the community – one of the only places in the community where you don’t need your wallet.
The bottom line here is that this question comes up consistently: Why do we still need public libraries? Come visit us and find out.
The Ponoka Jubilee Library will be moving in October 2018 to a brand new space, where we will be able to offer even more programs and services and better serve our community. To make this happen, we need your help.
We have opportunities for community members to be a part of this exciting institution in the form of a legacy wall, with sponsorships and recognition available for those who wish to donate $250 and up, please inquire at the library for more information.