We’ve all complained endlessly about the image of libraries and librarians in the media. Whenever a library adds a DDR program, the local stories are usually breathless puff pieces announcing the startling discovery that the library is no longer the domain of bunned, stamp-wielding shushers and is now run by gamers who encourage noise. Then patrons and bunless librarians alike write letters and blog posts complaining that either a. the library should be QUIET just like it was back in my day or b. that libraries aren’t arcades but we have to keep our doors open and we had to go to graduate school and why won’t you people get it right?! Approximately.

So when I opened up the local section of the New York Times this morning and saw the headline “Much Loved, Now Much Used,” I held my breath for a moment. The Times regularly reports on libraries in this area and they’ve generally been positive, accurate stories that highlight a service or collection of a few area libraries without “ohmigod when was the last time you were at the library!?” subtext. I had a restrained moment of hope.

“Libraries see their roles as much more of a cultural gathering place where people come together, kind of like the salons of the French and Victorian coffee houses,” said Darien’s library director, Louise Berry.

While some feared the Internet would keep people glued to their home computers, visits to libraries across the country have increased. Circulation in libraries rose by 28 percent in the last decade, and visits increased 61 percent from 1994 to 2004, according to the American Library Association. Because libraries can offer more advanced Web access, like wireless or high-speed Internet, than many people have at home, and they provide a more social setting, technology is actually drawing people, librarians say. Libraries are also giving more space to DVD, CD and video collections and offering books on MP3 players that visitors can borrow.

“Information has changed so drastically in its format and delivery,” said Maxine Bleiweis, the library director in Westport, Conn. “Human contact has gradually gone away. You add the isolation of the suburbs and you’ve really got a situation where people need to come together. One of the most natural places is the library.”

The article goes on to inform us that Jane Green has written her last five novels at the Westport Library.  That’s some pretty excellent coverage right there. Library as salon and writer’s den, fantastic! Great quotes from several area directors and a wonderful snapshot of libraries that are rising to the challenges of the 21st century library.