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Shelley Osterloh Reporting More than a hundred librarians from around the country and Canada are gathered in Salt Lake City this week to examine the changing roles of libraries and prepare for future challenges.
One main reason they chose Salt Lake for this meeting is the Salt Lake City Library; its unique architectural design seems to invite you in, an important feature because libraries are becoming important gathering places for people and ideas.
Libraries have always been about information, but technology has changed how we access information and libraries.
Nancy Tessman , Dir. Salt Lake City Public Library: "What's coming that will affect, influence and possibly improve the kind of service we can provide? And our goal is to bring together the best and the brightest to have that conversation."
So librarians from the US and Canada are talking about the challenges they face and sharing ideas. Many are impressed by the design and programs at the Salt Lake City Library.
Michael Wasilick, Librarian Raleigh, North Carolina: "I love the view, the way the library is part of the community and the way you've been able to draw the plaza so the community feels part of what you do."
Libraries used to just be a place for books, and the books are still here, but now you can get information from many different sources. And libraries have also become a gathering place for the community.
Nancy Tessman , Dir. Salt Lake City Public Library: "All of our meeting spaces truly are used on such a regular basis, whether that's a book group, or whether its a political group or a religious group, whether it's a social issue that someone wants to discuss or debate."
The library offers dozens of programs, lectures and discussion groups. Keeping up with technology and providing new services with limited funding are among the challenges facing libraries.
Leslie Berger, Pres. American Library Association: "And the challenge of serving communities that are much more diverse and different than ever before."
Despite the challenges, they say libraries are at a renaissance and are more vital than ever.
Leslie Berger, Pres. American Library Association: "We are more than just places of information, we are places that create opportunities for people to invest in their own personal growth."
This library --- the Salt Lake City main library --- was named the Library of the Year by the Library Journal.
