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Public Libraries Helping communities thrive in a changing world Our world is changing in significant ways. Technology alone is responsible for enormous shifts in how we do most things and how we make sense of our world. Other forces of change include an aging population, new kinds of work requiring new skills, growing cultural diversity, increased urban density, even greater social inequities, and a struggling world economy. More often than not, there are also local issues that compound these societal trends, such as the loss of manufacturing jobs and/or a diminished tax base. Anyone involved in local government, whether elected or employed, is all too familiar with the impact of these changes on the people and communities they serve. Along with other levels of government, today's municipal leaders are charged with the daunting task of building the community's capacity to not just survive, but thrive, against a backdrop of social and economic turbulence. While every municipal service plays an important role in the community, there is one that is uniquely positioned to contribute to the work of capacity building. This country's public libraries routinely help individuals, families, neighbourhoods, and communities adapt to changing circumstances so that they can face the future with the resilience that comes from new knowledge, information, skills, and abilities. The Library as a Community Resource Traditionally understood as providers of books, music, movies, and programs for children, public libraries are so much more then that. In addition to circulating collections, electronic as well as traditional, public libraries offer free public access to information technology. They also serve as crucial public space when community members can congregate, connect with one another, learn together and participate in community conversation. Because of the breadth of their reach, public libraries are well-positioned to play an important role in community capacity building. It is the work of municipal leaders, in consultation with their community, to establish the particulars of what capacity building should look like for a given community. A quick scan of municipal strategic plans shows current directions include such things as revitalizing the downtown core, developing the community as a retirement destination, providing retraining and workforce development programs, engaging newcomer populations, and improving quality of life by addressing such things as access to health care, education and green space, and spearheading neighbourhood renewal projects. It is important that municipal leaders recognize the public library's ability to make significant contributions to many of these broader community initiatives. For example, public libraries have long served newcomers to the community and play an important role in helping newcomers to settle in and, ultimately, to develop a sense of belonging. Access to community information, orientation and guidance to government services, language classes, family programs, and multilingual collections are just some of the ways in which public libraries assist newcomers in navigating community life. In addition, public library staff have considerable experience in community engagement and can be an important resource for reaching and engaging newcomers. Municipal officials charged with branding the community as a retirement destination do well to include public libraries in the roster of amenities available. Today's active seniors are hungry for experiences and opportunities to continue learning. In many communities, seniors flock to their local library daily, whether to attend a book club or travelogue presentation, to email grandchildren, to browse magazines and newspapers, to get assistance with their new e-readers, or to simply visit with each other. As well, many in this population, including recently and soon-to-be retired baby boomers, are keen to volunteer and the library can help connect these individuals with meaningful work. Public libraries also contribute to community-wide efforts to cultivate a skilled workforce. Library computers, staff, collections, and programs are valuable resources to those engaged in learning or upgrading skills, producing a resume and finding employment. Addressing Social Inequality One of the most important contributions public libraries can make is in helping municipalities address social inequality. According to the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition, healthy communities are characterized by peace, equality, and social justice. Similarly, social equity is