Today my mom pointed me to this article: http://www.parade.com/news/2011/09/25-little-library-that-could.html. I found parts of it really encouraging, and other parts a little disheartening. It's also an interesting look at the future of libraries.
First, the disheartening: when this library's budget was cut, the full-time staff was cut in half. From what I've read this isn't an uncommon occurrence.
The encouraging: "Contrary to what many predicted, the digital age has not rendered the nation’s 16,671 public libraries obsolete. Instead, it’s brought a pulsing new energy as patrons use the free computers and Internet access to research term papers, look for jobs, update Facebook pages, and more." I will probably cite this quote (and the accompanying statistics) the next time someone asks me if libraries are even going to exist in another ten years. I was also encouraged by the stories about how much the community rallied in support of the library after the budget was cut. The library's problems aren't solved completely, but having community support is an important part of keeping things together.
Which brings me to my next point: the importance of libraries to communities and communities to libraries. Dr. Lankes said that an empty room with a librarian is a library. I think I'd say that an empty room with a librarian and another person (hopefully there's people, but since this is hypothetical I'm going to say one is enough) is a library. We've talked in class about how libraries are more than just the artifacts inside, and I think this article really highlights that. This article also demonstrates the importance, particularly in public libraries, of community involvement. Libraries are participatory in nature, and I think community involvement is vital for the development and survival of public libraries.
-Molly
Perhaps I'm overly and unwarrantedly optimistic about the future of Libraries. From what I understand of Dr. Lankes' theory on librarianship, the library is but a symptom of the community's need for information services. I think as long as there is a community, there will always be librarians and our place in society as a field is constant.
ReplyDeleteThe sting of realism is that I think the budgetary cuts and underappreciation of our field comes from a grave lack of understanding about the library field. The article you linked to is an awesome look at the realities of the field and what our careers could look like after grad school. I suggest that we make educating the public about what we do for them a mission as a profession.
Also, I totally agree with your point that at least one other person needs to be in the room for that room to function as a library. What would we be facilitating otherwise? I think being a librarian is heavily performative--or as you put it, Libraries as a space are "participatory."