Where would we be without the Butler Area Public Library?

It opened 118 years ago in rented space in the Duffy Building on West Jefferson Street with 432 books. Since then, it has informed and entertained hundreds of thousands of patrons.

The genealogy department has shelf after shelf of books and almanacs filled with records of people and events around our region, and the library has thousands of DVDs, CDs, cassettes, records and other media available.

You even can check out framed art to display in your home.

The internet has made our lives easier. You no longer have to take a trip to the library to research school reports, explore the history of your family or community, or stay up to date through the library’s numerous periodicals.

These days, the library’s entire catalog of more than 103,000 items can fit in the palm of your hand on a smartphone application developed for the library in 2021.

Lori Hinderliter, the library’s executive director, said changes that have taken place during her 20 years at the library have been surprising, going from VHS tapes being popular rentals to the development of the smartphone application that library cardholders can use to stream music or audiobooks.

“Even in the last couple years, we have branched out in ways we never thought about,” Hinderliter said. “We have a lot going on here at the library.”

No matter the decade, the library has adapted to the times.

Recently, it weathered the height of COVID-19 and extended its online reach by accelerating development of additional remote access by patrons. In-person story time for children has returned since being put on hold in March 2020.

Hinderliter said that while society has moved heavily into a virtual realm, the library still keeps up with needs.

“There is going to be some things that are always here and always needed,” she said.

Visiting the library harkens back to simpler times. Trips as a child with your parents, gazing at columns and columns of books, having a library card in your wallet, purse or pocket.

Even though you can get whatever information you need through your smartphone or computer, it still is a great feeling to enter the library. Spend some time browsing. Soak in the atmosphere. The world is there for you.

If you haven’t done so recently, take a trip to the library. National Library Week is April 3 to 9. Make it a point to stop in. Get cozy in a chair with a good book. Feel it. Smell it. Relax.

— JGG