Your Local Information Arsenal

Walter Cronkite once said that “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” I could not agree more. Libraries are very important parts of our communities—especially mine. The Laurel County Public Library is located in the town of London, KY. This library offers many dynamic, easily accessible resources. Like most libraries naturally do, the library in my town overwhelms you with a sense of sophistication when you approach it. However, looks are not the most important part of this space. The Laurel County Public Library is also filled with plenty of information and entertainment selections that appeals to modern, knowledge-seeking people.

The Laurel County Public Library is a little bit out of the way from your daily drive, but it is still easily accessible to the public. This large and beautiful structure is located off of one of the highways in London. The building is located in an area that includes the London skate park and Somerset Community College, but the library is the building out of all of them that stands out and catches your attention. Plenty of perfectly paved sidewalks are going to guide you past intriguing statues right up to the brick one-story building. Upon entering the building, you will find little bits of information about the Laurel County Public Library’s history. Once you pass through the through the double sets of glass doors to and from the foyer, you will enter the calming atmosphere the library emits. The different sections of the library start branching off one by one from where you enter the lobby. This is where I believe it is intended that the adventure begins.

Directly in front of you always seems to be some sort of display for a library hosted event to help the community. During the times I have recently been to analyze the space, I noticed that they were hosting an event called “Drop Your Drawers at The Library!” This is a donation event to benefit the children in our Laurel County and East Bernstadt elementary schools. Members are encouraged throughout the months of November and December to donate packages of new underwear to library to help those children from needy family who many not have access to these basic things. (Laurel County Public Library) If you continue past the “bulletin area” as I like to call it, you will be in the middle of the general computer section. I spent a lot of time studying this area as it seems to be—aside from the events that occur in the library—the liveliest section. I interviewed someone named Kim House who doesn’t visit the area often, but likes to come to the library occasionally. House also agrees that this is the busiest part of the whole place. House stated, “I like to come here to do my homework sometimes. It’s different and more peaceful than my normal study spot. Apparently, I’m not the only one with the same idea because there is always someone sitting around me at a computer, too.” In this middle section of the library there is a huge octagonal skylight that allows plenty of natural light to pass through. This makes for a great spot to your thoughts and get things done on one of the library’s computers.

To your left will be the children’s area of the library. It is filled with lively colors, designs, and characters to catch a young child’s interest. It opens up a way to draw a young child into actually wanting to learn—even if they are not completely aware that is what they are doing at the time. Not to mention that there is plenty of side-by-side seating that make it nearly perfect for a parent to sit and read a book to their child. It’s not all about reading in this area, though. There are plenty of other entertaining activities for young children here! I noticed plenty of coloring pages, board games, puzzles, and so many other things that would make a trip to the library exciting for the youth members.

To the right of the main/computer section is where the community room, study rooms and areas are. For me, personally, these are some very important rooms. The community room is a room furnished with classy aspects that you can reserve for many different reasons. Not only does this room make you automatically feel involved with whatever is going on, the library sort of ensures that. Coming straight from the Laurel County Public Library’s website, “[The community room] can be reserved for use by non-profit groups and organizations which strive to improve the civic, educational, and social conditions of the community and county.” (Laurel County Public Library). The community room offers easy access to a full kitchen and media equipment. The study rooms allow you to study in seclusion while still having plenty of access to all of the library’s wonderful resources. The rooms include a space where you can sit in a comfortable, cushioned chair to spread all of your stuff out on the large table in front of you. These study rooms are on a first-come, first-served basis that keep you free of distractions from the normal events occurring out in the main parts of the library. The library helps reduce the chance of distractions by providing noise-dampening materials all throughout the individual room. In addition to the study rooms, there are less secluded study areas in these sections. There are tables off to the side that give you space to get your stuff out and indulge in your tasks. These tables all include a pop-up outlets with wall plugs and USB ports at every seat. This just encourages staying around and working on your own things in the aesthetically pleasing environment.

Forgetting about physical location for a minute, there are certain resources that are offered throughout the Laurel County Public Library. The library makes it easy for a person to gather information in many different topics all in one place from proper authorities. The library offers information in areas like general research, education, health, genealogy, business, archival, journals and news, taxes, and different catalogs. (Laurel County Public Library) This makes obtaining knowledge in nearly any subject so much easier.

In all, the Laurel County Public Library is somewhere that allows you to have access to many resources while being somewhere that is filled with aesthetic details. I believe that libraries are very underrated in today’s society. I encourage everyone to visit your local one!