- We are here at the library.

- [Librarian] Shh.

- So I'm trying to keep my voice down.

(playful music) In rural towns across America, libraries are more than buildings filled with books.

They're front doors to creativity, connection, and civic life.

- Shh.

(Cory grunting) - Oh, okay, okay.

Follow me.

In Collins, New York, this small town library is doing big things.

It's a tech hub, a concert venue, a community hangout, and a place to watch movies.

- [Kids] Shh.

(playful music) - This is the Collins Public Library.

- [Readers] Shh.

- Really?

(lively music) Let's take it back for a hot second.

Rural libraries in the United States have their roots in the 19th century when access to books and information was extremely limited outside urban areas.

According to the American Library Association, traveling libraries first immersed in the late 1800s, offering crates of books that circulated among towns without permanent libraries.

As rural communities recognized the value of free public access to information, local governments, women's clubs, and civic organizations pushed for the establishment of permanent rural libraries.

Today, in towns like Collins, the library isn't just delivering stories, it's helping people write their own.

- Collins has had a library for about 100 years, but we've only been in this building about 25.

So it's a newer building and it's gorgeous.

It was designed for the community.

We do serve a rural community, so we have a lot of farmers.

We've got a lot of space between neighbors, and we want to have a really welcoming environment so that everybody can join together.

So when you think about libraries, a lot of times you think about the books and the movies, just the stuff that you can pick up.

We're more than just a warehouse for books.

(lively music) - There's this idea that libraries are outdated, quiet and passive places, but in reality, these places are alive with learning, laughter and life-changing connections.

- We are anything but boring.

If you haven't been to the library in a long time, you should go because it is not what you expect.

It is a place with programs for kids, for adults, for seniors.

We see parents or younger adults come in to grab books or movies, anything to stay busy.

We see a ton of seniors come in and they're here for music, our concerts, they're here for our craft program.

It is a place to access technology, like computers.

This was one of the first spots that got high-speed internet in the entire area.

That's huge.

- Yeah.

- Especially when you compare to some of the more populated areas where it's easier to get access to high-speed internet.

A lot of houses even now still don't have that access.

They might only have cell phone access to the internet.

They might not have anything.

The Chromebook Hotspot Lending Program, they're always checked out.

We have waiting lists for them.

They come back in and somebody's ready to take it back out the door.

Yeah.

(both chuckling) There's so much more than you could expect.

And the library is a great third place for everyone.

So your first place is your home, and then your second place is your school or work.

But your third place can be the library, a place where you can go and you could just exist.

You know, you don't have to pay anything to be here.

You can borrow things, which makes it even better than free.

- I'm going to need to see this Library of Things.

- Hey, yeah.

I'll show you all the cool stuff we have.

- Okay.

(indistinct) (lively music) While Collins public Library exemplifies the heart of its community, it's also part of a legacy that stretches back long before the days of traveling libraries.

Historically, libraries began as exclusive repositories accessible only to the elite, like the Library of Alexandria serving rulers and scholars.

But over time, libraries evolved.

The UNESCO Public Library Manifesto calls them "A living force for education, culture, and information, and an essential agent for the fostering of peace and welfare."

Today, libraries still honor their ancient roots, but they've grown into something far more dynamic.

In towns like Collins, libraries are handing out blank pages and inviting the whole community to write the next chapter together.

So you guys have a lot of things here.

- Oh, we have many things.

(both laughing) So the Library of Things are items you can borrow from a library that aren't traditional.

And how we really decide what to add to the collection, we propose a bunch of different items.

We look for input from the community, and then we have the community vote.

And then the items that they have chosen are the ones that we add to the collection.

- Wow, so it's all democratic vibe you got going on here.

- Yes.

- Let the people vote.

- [Abigail] Yep.

- All right, Library of Things, what do you got?

- A popup tent.

- Oh.

- A karaoke machine.

- Ooh.

- A CPR kit.

A jewelry cleaner, a sewing machine, a parks pass, a ukulele, (Cory chuckling) a radon detector, a floppy disk reader, a fishing pole, and a metal detector.

- Oh.

Oh goodness.

Okay.

This is a lot of things.

I love it.

(lively music) Hello.

How you doing?

- Doing well.

How you doing?

- Good.

- A good name for a bat.

What about Colin?

You can name him Colin the bat 'cause we're at the Collins Library, right?

Can you help me come up with a name for my bat?

Beatrice.

I like that.

That's like kind of fancy.

- I really like to think of the library as the center of the community.

We work with so many community groups.

We work with our historical society, we work with the fire department.

We know that working together, we can all make a better community.

- In your opinion, what is the future of rural libraries?

- The future of rural libraries is a lot more of what we're doing now, a lot more space for the community to gather, a lot more technology to make it accessible to everyone.

- I came in not knowing much at all about rural libraries.

And now I feel like I need to sign up for my library card.

I need to come back to Collins, you know?

- Yeah.

It's always exciting to talk about libraries.

Which type of library card would you like?

- Ooh.

- You get a choice.

- I like that first one.

- That first one?

- Yeah.

- That is a great one.

- Yeah, I like that.

Preferred first name.

Does it have to be my first name?

- You don't need to answer that if your first name is what you go by.

- All right.

I would like it to be Bat Boy, but that's fine.

- [Abigail] Did you want to set up a PIN number so you could access your account online?

- So I'm want to do.

(machine beeping) - [Abigail] We've got your library card.

- Oh my gosh.

Abby, this is so dope.

(lively music) That is amazing.

Oh, I love it.

(Cory laughing) (lively music) (Cory panting) I love this library.

Where else can you check out a bestselling novel and a ukulele?

(Cory laughing) In Collins, the library is where the past meets the future.

(ukulele strumming) It's where ideas are shared, stories unfold and neighbors become a community.

It's libraries like these that remind us civic life doesn't just unfold in council chambers or government buildings, sometimes it happens right between bookshelves.

Well, I'll be seeing you.

I know you're excited for this and I have something to show you.

Beatrice is fully done and ready to take flight.

That's right, you all.

Beatrice, who you saw getting created at the library, is in full effect and ready to take off.

You ready, Beatrice?

Let's do this.

Woo.

(lively music) (Cory laughing) (lively music continues)