The Cincinnati Public Library System

The Cincinnati Public Library system ranks among the top three in the nation. It is an essential resource that renders learning accessible to all. Over 500,000 people access its services, including the children of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Public Library system benefits the education and social health of the city's children, thus enriching the whole community.

The Cincinnati Public Library's educational and pre-educational programs help the city's youth gain a solid foundation for academic success. For instance, library workers offer story time for toddlers and young children. Regular story time has been shown to encourage faster development in speech and reading skills, as well as an early love for books and language. The library also provides opportunities for parents to learn daily speaking exercises to practice with their children. These programs ensure that activities involve the parents and bring productive learning techniques into the home, encouraging parents to have positive, educational interactions with their children. These skills and experiences enable children to enter school prepared to learn and engage constructively with instructors and their peers.

Even for children already in school, these exercises are valuable, as reading comprehension is “not [best] reached through drills, but by engaging [children] in fun, interactive, age-appropriate activities,” as stated by Judy Maclean of the Penn State College ofEducation, emphasizing these programs as especially vital. Early education is particularly important due to learning retention in children, she explains. Poor readers in first grade are likely to remain poor readers in fourth grade; conversely, good readers will continue to improve. Reading skills are an essential part of daily living, study, and work, and those with a head start are more likely to succeed in these areas. Reading activities also help children develop attention span, which is crucial for success in school, work, and life. In a modern culture that often encourages inattention and apathy, fostering patience and excitement for in-depth exploration at an early age is especially vital.

The library is important for older youth, as well. For older children and teens, the library provides individual homework and research help in addition to free books. Struggling students can therefore receive specialized help that they may not have access to at home or school. The library website even has a research guide to help with students with their projects, both academic and personal. Computers themselves are another invaluable free installment that the library provides. Without this resource, academic success would be impossible for students who lack the means to research or print out assignments for school, causing low-income students to fall behind— or worse, stop reaching for success whatsoever. The library system offers every child a fair chance of academic success.

Youth, especially teenagers, also go to the Cincinnati Public Library for social purposes. 37% of American teenagers attend the library to meet with friends, which the Cincinnati branch enthusiastically provides for. The library's main building has special rooms for meetings and get- togethers, and hosts a plethora of youth clubs, including those focused in writing, animation, gaming, and art. This ensures that teenagers are able to meet in a safe, friendly environment andexperience positive exposure to education and creativity at no cost. As such, for teenagers as well as children, the library promotes harmonious social interaction and nurtures the view that learning is a positive, fun experience. Altogether, the library system fosters skills that youth can apply to aspects of life that require sociability, close attention, and a willingness to learn, all valuable traits in life, school, and the future workplace. Positive educational experience creates a more profitable future job market for Cincinnati's children as well as more fulfilling lives.

Parental involvement at the library not only benefits children, but also allows parents to gain access to economically beneficial resources. Parents can access resources through the library such as the internet, which aids with job search, and books, which can help them learn and develop new skills for both in and outside the workforce. Lower-income parents especially prioritize libraries. While the majority of American parents across all demographics consider libraries “very important,” over 80% of lower-income parents view all library resources as “very important,” valuing not only job search opportunities but also children's classes, events, and meeting spaces. The library also helps parents with the costs of education, time, and even food, since the Cincinnati library offers free snacks for children.

Parental involvement has not only economic but social impact. Children are less likely to go to the library when their parents do not deem reading a highly important aspect of their child's development. Limited access to libraries may also stem from parents' feelings of intimidation if they struggle with reading, have had a poor education, or know English as a second language. If the child gets involved at a library, however— for example, through school or a friend— those parents' views are likely to change, and their intimidation to lessen they attend and use the available learning opportunities. When parents enable their children to engage at the library from a young age, those children in turn grow to pass down their priorities to future generations, creating a lasting heritage of education and engagement. The library system thus holds the power to change culture and educate for generations, proving a timeless invaluable resource.

While some may take libraries for granted or complain of taxation, for most libraries offer resources that are not merely desired, but essential. For children, access to reading material is crucial for development, especially in a positive and safe environment where they grow to associate learning with success and happiness. The library is an environment that encourages children to ask questions and reach out to cooperate with others as they ultimately work towards a common goal of learning. Children are therefore encouraged to approach problems with a sharp, open mind, willing to learn from others. This is not an attitude nor skillset acquired by sitting isolated at home or working at a desk. Bringing this mindset to life not only encourages high performance in school, but in the future workplace, in the home, and in daily life. Therefore, the Cincinnati Public Library system helps children develop valuable life skills through academic and social exposure, positively impacting the economy and society.

Overall, the resources that the Cincinnati Public Library provides enhance children's wellbeing and ultimately benefit the whole community economically and socially. Beyond direct educational benefit, the library system brings the people of Cincinnati together and ultimately fosters a love of learning. Children with these values positively impact their lives and community for generations. The Cincinnati Public Library system is an essential feature of the city that enhances of all levels of society.