I found this in an article by Marcus Banks, a journalist with experience as an academic library administrator.

“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” - Neil Gaiman, author

Libraries are safer spaces. All are welcome in the library. Children and adults can use this safe space to come and read, craft or discuss ideas. No bullying is allowed here, and everyone is accepted.

Libraries respect history. We have a historical society in Catasauqua with members who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They volunteer for activities and talks to share their knowledge of the area. The internet is often not a reliable source of information. The reporting is subject to inaccuracies and often links to sites that can be wiped out.

Libraries are leaders in increasing online access to scholarly information. Scholarly articles are available to all readers online, and librarians have been supporters of this movement for more than a decade.

Libraries host makerspaces. Given that makerspaces provide venues for creativity, learning and community, it only makes sense libraries champion them. The maker movement has grown rapidly. You can learn about makerspaces online, of course, but to visit one, you must venture into the physical world.

Librarians can help you sort the real news from the fake. It’s easy to see, looking back over the last few years, people tend to read views that chime with their own beliefs. This is natural for us humans, but we should dig deeper into the sources of the information in front of us.

Librarians guide you to exactly what you need. Google is an impressive search engine, but its results can be overwhelming, and many people do not know to filter them by content type (such as .pdf) or website source (such as .gov). A conversation with a librarian can clarify exactly what you are looking for and figure out the best way to use Google - or many other resources - to find accurate information.

Librarians do not track your reading or search history to sell you things. Amazon’s book purchase recommendation feature is useful for learning about new books. But this usefulness comes at the expense of your privacy because your reading data is valuable business intelligence for Amazon. We protect and respect your privacy.

Librarians do not censor. One core value of librarianship, as the American Library Association advocates, is to allow the free sharing and exchange of ideas. That is why, if you see a book that has very different ideals to your own, we will say that we include it in the library because we do not censor the collection.