Arts students and professors have the benefit of their university libraries with their extensive inventory of books and other media, along with their special collections. When I was working on my MFA in creative writing, my thesis chair encouraged me and my classmates to take advantage of this great resource, to find things that would help our projects and even our work in the long term. His advice especially resonated when I watched this video. It’s something I should never forget, but to always apply in my own creative life.

For all other artists, whether they be without a formal arts education or they are working long after that degree, the public library part of what makes inspiration, ideas, and research possible. The books one reads or the movies or music one may listen to may have a great effect on what an artist creates. While it is possible to create anywhere, anytime, institutions such as libraries and enhance the quality of one’s intellectual and creative life. They make ideas accessible in a way that universities and bookstores do not. For those, one needs some amount of money. The library, on the other hand, is free to the public and even provides space to read, study, or contemplate while there. It has made the writing of Ray Bradbury possible. Given that, who knows what else is possible?

Don’t overlook the library. You might get an idea, and that is the wildest thing that can ever happen. You won’t be sorry.

I came across this public service announcement for the New York Public Library, which is awesome. It’s wonderful to see the famous and fabulous shout out the library system of New York City. It’s great that the A-listers shout it out for the New York Public Library, but other library systems all over the country need support. In a cash-strapped California, where the State has no money and threatens to take funds from the counties and cities, making sure that the libraries keep going is even more of necessity.

Even with public schools, community colleges, and state universities, the public library is a place that teaches more people than all the mentioned educational institutions. Whether it is children’s books, novels, car repair books, world history, or DVD’s, the library is a place where one can learn about anything. Of course, Borders or Barnes & Noble provides the same materials, but those items have price tags and that can get expensive. Here, everything is free, provided it’s returned on time. School is not for everyone, but anyone can be an autodidact. That’s certainly the case with Ray Bradbury, who learned more from the libraries offerings than he ever did from any school. He’s also written many many fantastic novels, among them Fahrenheit 451. Quiet with lots of books – who knows what else could be produced. Even if one doesn’t write the Great American Novel, what one learns is priceless.

In this bad economy, the library has become an important resource for those seeking jobs. The reference section is stocked with career and testing books, along with ones to help anyone craft the killer résumé. More importantly, in our online world, the libraries also provide computers for those who don’t have them, enabling them to work on those résumés and upload them to the various company or job websites. Some branches even have career centers to help those job seekers negotiate through the various procedures of trying to get a gig. Before glibly telling someone to get a job, consider that they should have the tools to do that.

Some patrons are remarkably competent with using a catalog search and finding their way around the library, but the librarian and their support staff are there for those who aren’t. Even in this online age, many still need the help with the Internet or other applications, such as Microsoft Office for those résumés, and who else is there to help them? Unlike certain bureaucratic arms of local governments, those who work for the libraries definitely approach what they do with a great deal of care and compassion.

For those of us in San Diego, there is the wonderful San Diego Public Library and the San Diego County Library. As for any library, none should become a casualty of this economy. This institution should not be allowed to become extinct. Everything the library does for the public is not quantifiable and full benefits are yet to be seen. All that said, support your local public library.