This is a comment I threw together for a discussion board in my Public Libraries class. Don't know how true I think it is, but it's worth sharing. If I'm way off, feel free to tell me. Topic for Module 1: Factors supporting public libraries Libraries generally suffer from a PR problem that places them in a more precarious position than when the movement was young and growing. Libraries are often pegged as nothing more than quiet study spaces, book repositories, antiquated resources for information much inferior to the Internet, and sources for free DVD “rental.” This isn’t the case in every community, but I believe it’s fairly common outside of the library profession and the relative handful of regular users. Many of the external factors that would otherwise support libraries fail to penetrate these misconceptions, and every library that has successfully changed its reputation has had to work very hard against these misconceptions.
The economic situation for libraries was far different in the 19th century than it is today. The country was still more rural than urban, taxation on all levels was very low compared to today, and the public library was relatively new and exciting. “Captains of industry” gave to libraries, whereas modern tech billionaires and others with money today give more to schools and politics. In rural Van Buren County, there are many towns and villages that are struggling economically, and there is no Andrew Carnegie looking out for them. Having an awesome public library is not, I think, a point of pride anymore for most communities. We tend to be seen as old-fashioned, and most communities don’t want to be seen that way. There are plenty of opportunities to change this, but it will take a lot of work and patience. On the other hand, scholarship, conservation, and local pride combine to lend support to one library service: local history/ genealogy, which has a small but loyal base of users. The focus of public resources in support of universal public education tends to be the schools these days, to the exclusion of public libraries, although that doesn't help school libraries. There is often a disconnect between the school library and public library, which presents another problem and/or an opportunity. I have seen quite a few parents who opt for homeschooling making extensive use of our public library. Self-education is alive and well in free computer classes for seniors and some other programming, but many of the cultural programs designed for younger and middle-aged crowds tend not to do well in my area. Vocational influence offers another opportunity for improvement. There is a lack of programming aimed at helping blue-collar working people. Even factory employment these days often requires basic computer skills. Increasingly, working people have to go online to apply for jobs, follow up on applications, check schedules, and retrieve paystubs. Although the younger ones among them have been exposed to computers in grade school, older working people are often at sea, technologically. There is a need for support of both employed and unemployed working-class people that often goes unfulfilled. Vocational focus could work in favor of public libraries with an increase of attention and marketing. The relationship between these factors and the success of libraries is also complicated by the change in basic assumptions over the decades. Libraries generally no longer emphasize Americanizing immigrants as much as providing collections that strengthen connection to their culture while helping them navigate the American bureaucratic structures. We also no longer prescribe “good” literature for moral uplift, but often instead focus on providing popular material and diverse literature for underrepresented groups. This impacts the effect of the self-education factor as well as the religious factor. (Here's where I get into some sweeping and frankly unfair generalities for the sake of time and space and the aesthetics of rhetoric. There may be more exceptions than adherents to the "rules" that I seem to indicate here. There is a vast and growing Christian Left that stands for diversity and inclusion. If the following offends, I apologize. I couldn't resist a few choice words at the end.) Middle-class White Anglo-Saxon Protestants were once inspired by their religion to use public libraries to tame the heathen and savage foreigner. Today, they are too frequently inspired by their religion and morality to oppose collections and programming that support disaffected young people, LGBTQ people, and other vulnerable populations.
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I know the bit about getting rid of the Library of Congress was a joke. However, we have to ask, from a conservative point of view, what functions does the public library perform? What is its value in Trump's nation?
Public libraries preserve the best of American culture, but the best according to whom? How many voices will be counted in making these decisions? Libraries provide equitable access to information, but that costs money. And why should the “winners” in Trump’s America pay for the “losers” to have access to the Internet or other sources of information? Public libraries connect everyone to information, but will information flow in the same way? I won’t call anyone a fascist … not right here, right now, in this context. Still clinging to some vestige of professional neutrality, I guess. But let’s say fascism were to creep in. Let’s say a figure at the center of a cult of personality gained some degree of unchecked power. Let’s say that that happened. What’s the history of libraries under fascism? Books burned, intellectual freedom suppressed. The majority would be privileged and everyone else is abused, on a scale that would render the problems we see today insignificant. What libraries remain would be tools of the State. Post-SOUP, pre-dinner. Here is the fact: I didn't expect to win. Upon scanning the competition's descriptions, my first thought was that a program addressing such basic needs as food for the hungry and citizenship for immigrants had me beat from the start. Creative writing is not a necessity, like eating and living in a free country are necessities. Unless, of course, you're a creative writer, in which case to not write feels like dying. That is the reason I will continue to pursue funding for this program, because exercising creativity and learning to communicate effectively can make life profoundly more livable and fulfilling, especially for the kind of kid that I was when I was in middle school and high school. It's a good thing for other types, too. It can enhance almost anybody's life, I think. But the misfits are my favorite, the ones for whom I stand at the cliff in the field of rye.
You must have come in during the middle of the conversation in my head. Let me back up. I just finished a short presentation at the Library SOUP event at the Michigan Library Association 2016 Annual Conference. It was a crowdfunding event, based on Detroit SOUP. Each participant voted with her/his ticket for the favorite of five programs presented. My program: the Teen Writers Journey to Publication, a Skype-connected writers' group that meets in seven different library branches across the county. The Teen Librarian from the East Lansing Public Library won with her Wee Free Pantry idea. And good for her! She deserved it. She presented it well and it is a worthy idea. For my part, I received a lot of great feedback. A friend told me I was "hands down, the best presenter" at the event. My bosses told me I looked natural up on stage. (Inside, I was screaming with anxiety. But one learns to disconnect and let another part of oneself take over. Which can also be learned through creative writing.) It was suggested that I "take it on the road" to some local civic groups to see if I could procure funding from them. It was also suggested that I try again next year at the SOUP. I intend to do both. I've been meaning to connect with civic groups anyway to gauge interest in a local history wiki project and find people willing to contribute as writers or interviewees. Outreach is also maybe part of my job, as Marketing Assistant. Now that I know I can pull off a presentation, I think I'm ready to be more active in that capacity. At any rate, it was a great opportunity and a big step in my professional development. Now, back to my MLIS homework ... and maybe the Pub Crawl at 7 (which will be a Pop Crawl for me, but a chance to hang out, maybe) ... |
AuthorJeffrey Babbitt, MLIS, is a graduate of the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University who is pursuing a career as a librarian in Michigan. Subject Headings
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