Libraries not only provide a nurturing environment for children to learn new things, but also hold a community sanctuary for all those who love books.

On Santa Clara avenue, the West End Library of Alameda also offers a quiet, safe studying space for students to reliably get schoolwork done as well as houses a wonderful collection of books for young children to learn how to read.

At the Main library, exciting events appropriate for children are in abundance -- engaging imagination, promoting literacy, putting hours of work into programs so that kids are given a chance to succeed. Why not expand that difference that is being made over to the west end and shift the impact to the broader community?

The fact is, West End is only open four days a week, putting west end students at a heavy disadvantage as compared to students at schools in the vicinity of the main library. It breaches an impairment in the research skills needed for college. Encouraging children to seek resources outside of their usual environment develops autonomy and helps them ask good questions, as well as find the answers in creative ways. The west end of Alameda has a much higher density of high schools and middle schools as compared to the area surrounding the main library, and these easternmost schools already have their own on-campus libraries and surrounding tutoring services available to them.

In an increasingly digital world, the need to preserve and promote organic, tangible library materials (books) to the new generation becomes increasingly invaluable.

Not only this, but widespread internet access also becomes more and more coveted as we move everything we do to the internet. A Daily Beast article details the push for digital textbooks across the United States, including the result of a survey released by the Pearson foundation that found almost 70% of high school students believing that E-books (digital textbooks) will replace textbooks within the next five years. As free and easy internet access becomes more and more a necessity for students, so too, do libraries.



Despite being significantly smaller than the main library, West End has its own personality and value to the community. An increase in hours would be a step in the right direction to accommodate and attract more library-devoted people -- students, residents, and visitors alike.