In the digital age, the future of the written (and printed) word remains shaky at best. And… In the digital age, the future of the written (and printed) word remains shaky at best. And because so much information is a mere click away, the institution of the library in its traditional role grows increasingly obsolete.

Libraries have seen tough financial times. Take the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, for example. Last year, the institution had to consider closing four of its branches and merging two others, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pittsburgh’s City Council voted to grant the library system $600,000 to help keep the institution afloat and prevent closings. The plight isn’t characteristic exclusively to the Pittsburgh area, however.

Libraries shouldn’t have to keep scraping by on budget bailouts. Part of their ability to stay relevant relies on constantly updating their digital resources. But is there another way?

Libraries both in the Pittsburgh area and throughout the country have begun lending some rather nontraditional items.

A library in Baldwin Borough lends mannequins for practicing CPR, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Another in Jefferson Hills lends engraving kits. In one sense, becoming a Rent-A-Center of sorts is a rather jarring change, but it should be seen as the library’s expansion and growth as an institution.

Libraries are commonly regarded as centers of knowledge, and most of that knowledge lies in their printed resources. By no means should libraries consider books and other printed materials as secondary products in their inventory — at least not at this point — but bringing in other products could supplement their own educational qualities.

One library in Lackawanna County offers flash cards and sheet music. Does a person learn any less from those than they would if he would have borrowed a book? And just as importantly, is there not a value in the person getting to choose the means through which he learns?

Increasing the resources that libraries choose to lend out would only provide more options to the public at a time when we’re still in a tougher economic state.

Already, many libraries lend out movies and music. These items inherently hold some educational qualities. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh also lends out video games, which are, of course, often considered the opposite of any sort of educational tools. But video games are hardly the most nontraditional products: A California library offers a supply of thousands of farm tools available for lending.

Even if the library attracts patrons with an atypical inventory, there’s also the possibility that it will lead to further exploration of resources — in this case, rediscovering what libraries traditionally offer.

If the library slowly transforms into such a diversified institution, it could lessen its chance of becoming outdated in the blossoming digital age and amid the emergence of e-readers. There will always be knowledge safely bound in some library book that hasn’t made its way to the digital front, but those books are getting dusty.

If such a change can change the way we look at libraries and therefore keep them intact, it’s a worthwhile alteration.