Libraries aren’t just places where you go to borrow books anymore.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7 from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam will be holding a special tech talk event to familiarize teens, adults and seniors with some of the digital technology and content it has available for loan or just to fidget with.
Christine Conroy, the branch’s community librarian supervisor, said that technology can range from a micro robot the size of your thumb that will follow simple commands drawn on a piece of paper to a vast collection of streaming video, ebooks, audiobooks and magazines as well as databases covering auto repair, provincial building codes, company profiles, consumer reports, road maps for 175 countries, job postings and educational courses.
Conroy said technology has changed the role of libraries and librarians from doyennes of the Dewey Decimal System to arbiters of bits and bytes.
“We are so not your grandparents’ library,” she said, adding technology has demanded libraries become community hubs that can offer experiences as well as knowledge.
Some of those experiences include playing with Ozobots and Cubetos — simple little robots that facilitate learning about programming and coding — to walking through immersive virtual worlds wearing virtual reality headsets.
Conroy said it’s all about sparking creativity and interest.
“We’re opening minds,” she said.
Of course, that has put the onus on librarians to keep pace with the rapid changes that come with digital technology. Last year’s high-definition video stream is now 4K and is already evolving to 8K.
Conroy said her staff is on a constant learning curve, with regular training sessions and refreshers to keep abreast of the latest tech that’s coming down the digital pipe.
“Libraries were the same way for a long time,” she said. “We have to adapt.”
That’s infused new life amidst the stacks of books and periodicals. More importantly, Conroy said, it’s making libraries fun again.
“Technology should be fun,” she said.
• For more information about the free tech talk event, or the library’s digital offerings, go to www.fvrl.bc.ca.
