Last Friday, 85 folks from MLC member libraries and staff gathered at Lansing Community College’s West Campus to hear about community-building activities in libraries. Chrystie Hill got the day off with an enthusiastic talk about the work libraries are doing to build a greater sense of community. Her thesis is that libraries are not just about content, but just as importantly, they connect people with each other. The more we do that, the more relevant and vital we become.

She gave many examples of the things libraries are doing to help people connect with each other. Many of those activities revolve around the use of technology and the web. Libraries are exploring and innovating through the use of Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. My favorite line in her talk, though, came when she was describing her epiphany about libraries and the their efforts to foster people-connections. As she was describing some of the things she’s seen and discovered, she almost had to force out the words that technology is only a means and that there are many other ways to connect people. After she sort of stumbled over the words, she looked up and said, “There, I’ve said it. It’s not about the technology. It’s about connecting people.” It was a cute moment. And a sentiment that many of us share.

Facebook and Flickr are wonderful tools. They’re a lot of fun and it’s easy to while away a couple of hours on the sites. But the type of community found there pales in comparison to the real thing. Reading and commenting on sites about Darfur may help me gather information and make a start at connecting with people. But it’s not until I go to a rally at the state capitol and hear in-person about the tragedy ongoing in the Sudan that I really connect emotionally.

It’s not an either/or proposition. Libraries need both: We need to be on Facebook. We need to share our photos on Flickr. But we also need children’s story-times. We need programs on personal finance, gardening, and henna painting. And, yes, we need book groups. All of these – from Facebook to henna painting to book groups – foster community and they connect people with each. Chrystie is right: We’re not just about content. We need to help people find connections to other like-minded folks.