A Multiplicity of Uses

The ways in which the library is used are numerous. Simply walking in the front doors will give visitors a glimpse at the array of events and resources the library has to offer. There are posters for everything from gardening and technology seminars, knitting classes, film showings, a class about family trees, blood pressure screenings, and the intriguingly-titled, “TalkAbout: What Would You Say to Your Former Self?” These resources and events are in addition to the more traditional library resources that the library also provides – paper books, magazines, and newspapers, reference books, books on cassette tape and CD, and story-times held for preschoolers. Audio and e-books on digital download are also provided for the more technologically inclined patrons.

On any given day, visitors might find patrons using the computers on the first floor, or tutoring English language learners at the study tables on the second floor in the adult non-fiction section. They will almost certainly see the comfortably furnished teen area in use – specifically the two computers that are devoted to their use. I interviewed Ashley Youngkin, an IUP student who has been volunteering at the library since she was a freshman. In the course of her volunteering, she sees the many uses of the Indiana Free Library:

“In the middle of the reference area, there are tables to do research or homework – I think it’s mostly grad students who use that. There’s a woman who tutors two Korean students at the table in the back of the second floor, and a book club …People use the magazine and newspaper area for reading. And the computers are used for a variety of things, including the computer workshops they have. Kids are tutored [in the library]; I’ve seen three different groups. I’ve seen interviews going on, kids and parents reading in the children’s area, [and] college kids helping to tutor elementary school kids last spring [spring 2013].”

These uses speak to the variety of purposes that go beyond simply lending out books, and this versatility is part of what gives the Indiana Free Library such value in its community. From Ashley’s perspective, “They try to do more stuff to help people learn [than just providing books].” She argues that the computer classes, especially, would be difficult or impossible to provide elsewhere, because it is unlikely that a business would offer them for free and it is assumed that students know the kinds of information that are covered in the classes, so such classes are not offered at the university library.

The library also has an online catalog that patrons can browse while not at the physical library building. They can also check their accounts to see what books they have checked out, renew ones they’d like to borrow for a longer length of time, and reserve books that are currently checked out. The physical library is probably one of the few places in town where patrons can use the internet for free – without having to buy a cup of coffee to do so.