That prompted the library to lay in a supply of Narcan, a drug used to counteract opioid overdoses. In February 2017, a twenty-five-year-old man suffered a fatal overdose in one of its bathrooms. If the idea of libraries as frontline responders in the opioid crisis sounds far-fetched, look no further than the Denver Public Library. These days, a branch librarian might run story hour in the morning, assist with a research project at lunchtime, and in the afternoon administer life-saving medical aid to a patron who’s overdosed on the premises. But it has also put pressure on them to be all things to all people, and to meet a vast range of social needs without correspondingly vast budgets. That commitment to inclusivity, along with a persistent ability to adapt to changing times, has kept public libraries vital in an era of divisive politics and disruptive technological change. ![]() “We certainly are without judgment about anybody’s characteristics.” “We are open spaces,” says Susan Benton, the president and CEO of the Urban Libraries Council, whose members include public-library systems serving cities large and small across the United States. In a country riven by racial, ethnic, political, and socioeconomic divides, libraries still welcome everyone. And the library will never share or sell your personal data. You don’t need money or a library card to access a multitude of on-site resources that includes books, e-books and magazines, job-hunting assistance, computer stations, free Wi-Fi, and much more. You can stay all day, and you don’t have to buy anything. ![]() The public library requires nothing of its visitors: no purchases, no membership fees, no dress code. One place, though, remains open to everybody.
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