LOGAN – Even with answers to questions and research that can be found at the click on a keyboard, the modern library still has a lot to offer.
Brooke Passey was in the Logan Library reading a book to 4-year-old Ezra Combe on Friday Sept. 12, 2024.
Recent data from the Institute of Museum and Library services annual Public Library Survey suggested physical library visits remain dramatically lower than before the pandemic. IMLS counted over the last decade, the average number of library visits per user per year has fallen by nearly half (49.1%).
Libraries may deserve another look, however. They have changed over time to do more than lend bound pages of written material.
Lending books is at the heart of what modern libraries do, but it’s only the beginning of services offered to the public. The rows of desks and stacks of books are still there but some have given way to meeting rooms, computers with printers, adult classes, book clubs, craft clubs, historical societies and more. And all of it is free to the public.
Logan Library Director Michael Sauer recognized spending time in a library can lower stress and give people a sense of belonging, peace, and optimism.
“In an increasingly commercial world where a coffee and a comfortable chair come with a price, libraries are a crucial ‘third place,’ a place that isn’t home or work,” Sauer said. “Unlike cafes, gyms, and retail spaces, the library invites everyone to stay, read, attend a program, connect, or simply exist without the expectation of a purchase.”
The Logan Library has rows of periodicals people can brows through on Friday Sept. 12,2025.
Life’s distractions can be mitigated by spending time in a library for only the cost of a library card which is free.
“This unique, no-cost model is more vital than ever, offering a quiet refuge for students, a warm/cool space for the unhoused, and a public living room for anyone seeking knowledge, community, or just a comfortable seat,” he said. “By providing a truly free space, libraries powerfully affirm their role as a cornerstone of an equitable and inclusive society.”
Brooke Passey was in the Logan Library reading a book to 4-year-old Ezra Combe. She appreciated the services the library has to offer.
“Coming to the library has been a life saver,” she said. “We are new here and coming to the library has helped a lot.”
Literary Hub, a service that connects users to library resources and information across various institutions, recently reported spending time in libraries has all kinds of benefits to people of all ages.
“Researchers at New York Public Library surveyed over 1,900 users to see if there were any advantages to visiting the library and if it affected their overall well-being,” the report said. “The responses from those surveyed were overwhelmingly positive; with a vast majority reporting library visits contributed to their personal growth. They also said it made them more empathetic and optimistic about the world.”
The Logan Library has a place for children to gather and read on Friday Sept. 12, 2025.
One patron said, “It offers us hope that we can do something, that we can make a change, that we can advance.”
Some 92% of respondents also reported they felt a sense of calm or peaceful after visiting a library. Those good vibes even extend to e-only users, with 58% reporting a sense of optimism from digital library interactions.
The positive well-being impacts of libraries were found to be highest in lower income communities, with 73% of those surveyed in lower income zip codes reporting that the library positively affects their “feeling that there are people who really care about them.”
Nine public libraries are found in communities throughout Cache Valley.