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ARLINGTON, Texas—Arlington Director of Libraries Norma Zuniga said she believes the Arlington Public Library allows patrons to connect with their community and commit to being lifelong learners.

While it might seem that libraries might become obsolete with technology progressing rapidly, they still provide service and a sense of community to patrons. Instead of rejecting technology, libraries have used it to improve the functions of the library. For example, patrons of the Arlington Public Library can place items on hold online and request pick-up for specific locations.

Technology also helps the Arlington Public Library staff on the organizational side so it can manage its collections and provide better service to patrons, such as through its book sorter.

“Patrons return a book and it reads a chip in the book, an RFID tag, and it sorts the book—this is an adult book, this is a juvenile book, this is a book that belongs on the third floor, this is a video—so the technology is helping us manage the collection and a staff member doesn’t have to touch the item multiple times,” Zuniga said.

But integrating technology into the library system is not without its challenges. It can be a struggle to keep up because evolving technologies require reinvestment, which can be difficult for a municipality. But it’s also an opportunity, Zuniga said.

Artificial Intelligence has become a hot topic in recent years with its widespread use, so it’s natural to wonder how libraries are using it for their own tasks. The Arlington Public Library uses AI for its chat feature on its website to help answer questions, but like with any new technology, there are difficulties.

In this case, Zuniga said the library programs information for the AI to use, but it could also be searching the internet for data when responding to questions. Because not everything on the internet comes from reliable sources, there is a risk of the chat feature providing incorrect information to patrons. This means information has to be reviewed sometimes, and the library must put systems in place for accuracy.

But regardless of the struggles with technology, the Arlington Public Library works to provide specific services based on demographics such as age and ethnicity. Because schools have limited resources available, such as only being open for certain times or only being able to buy so many books, public libraries step in to support what they do. They are open for a wider range of hours and provide materials for lessons taught in schools.

“Our role as public libraries is to complement—complement the educational institutions around us and work in partnership with them,” Zuniga said.

The Arlington Public Library also aims for patrons to see themselves within their materials because Zuniga said she believes there is a sense of community that comes from patrons knowing their public library knows about them and their culture.

Because of the emphasis on wellbeing and mental health, Zuniga said people have become more focused on developing new skills through areas such as the library’s makerspace, and that it’s also all about wanting to be a lifelong learner.

“I love that about the Arlington community,” Zuniga said. “We are a community of lifelong learners.”