Do libraries give us a core service?
Posted at 11:58 AM on November 1, 2011
by Dave Peters
(7 Comments)
Filed under: Local government finance
How crucial are libraries to a community? Beloved by many, they nonetheless are among the first places residents turn when faced with a desire to save money.
The building housing the public library in Lake Elmo is for sale. MPR News Photo/Judy Griesedieck
We've been exploring this question as part of our "Forced to Choose" project. MPR News Ground Level reporter Jennifer Vogel is reporting on the trends and talking with Tom Crann on All Things Considered this afternoon. Then Wednesday morning, reporter Tom Robertson will report on Morning Edition from Duluth, where residents are being asked directly to pay more to keep their libraries humming.
We also asked people in our Public Insight Network to give us their thoughts. We have a lot of librarians in the network, so we heard a lot of reasons to consider libraries core services at the heart of what a community is. But we heard from others as well, some of whom wonder whether technology and cultural changes are making it necessary to think in different ways.
Here's what people told us. Add your own thoughts in the comments.
Michele McCaughtry, director, Wabasha Public Library
Library usage is higher than ever in Wabasha despite some negative talk about libraries being "non-essential" or that the Internet will replace the need for mortar and bricks building. I worry that for some people, the negative political talk will discourage use of public libraries, especially the young and old. It is a kind of "cooling," a pressure to not have people use the services, thus denying equal access to information.
Diana Tallent, director, Lonsdale Public Library
Library use increases dramatically during a recession. The first thing people get rid of when they lose their job is Internet access and many companies will only accept electronic submissions of resumes nowadays. People flock to the library to use the computers, Internet, to write resumes, to look for jobs, to apply for unemployment, to research which fields are hiring and how to train for those positions.
Terry Genelin, resident, Le Sueur
Even the poor have computers and smart phones. Libraries are fading in importance. When I do stop by I see kids playing video games and checking out music and DVDs which are available from stores in town. Enrichment activities are fine but the "GOOD" parents are the ones that use them [and] they can afford to pay for services and don't need the tax-supported system. We should consider the services to be part of the school facility making more use of the public school and eliminating the extra structure maintenance.
Sister Edith Bogue, member, Duluth Library Board
The libraries are now so busy at peak times that librarians cannot adequately respond to all questions. There are occasionally very heated situations about giving up the use of a computer or other resource when time is up, and the patrons do not have the quiet environment needed for careful reading or searching for important information.
Jim Weygand, board member, Carver County Library
Carver has a very good library system, but it is gradually moving to mediocracy. The Norwood Young America Library was replaced and the size was tripled, but because of budget cuts staffing was not increased. The Chanhassen library evening closing was moved from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m., shortening the available hours as well as affecting availability for evening meetings of many groups.
Stacia Marlett, volunteer, Golden Valley Library
The Golden Valley library is always busy, with adults and kids. I know that the shelves there are messier and fuller than I'm sure the librarians would like. This means people have trouble finding the items they want, which means they are either left dissatisfied or have to get a librarian to help them, which ties up the librarians from doing the tidy work necessary for a good experience.
Jamie Stanley, reference librarian, Northfield Public Library
Libraries are a refuge for the disenfranchised and can help public school students who have a need for a space to work and for information related to their education. Libraries are core, but the city of Northfield doesn't think so. It's the old story of pitting the library against police and fire. To go head to head with this "law and order" thinking is a no win for the public library. Frightening.
Mel Strand, resident, Waseca.
With our schools under great financial pressure, students are relying on the library for more up-to-date equipment, references, and materials than the school can provide. People are also turning to the library for entertainment materials, including books, music, CDs, etc., and job searches because of tough economic times in this small community. The Library is a major basis for community activity. I doubt that most people realize its importance, including our local politicians.
Rick Morris, resident, Waseca.
Libraries are a quality of life issue for me. A place to go for cheap books in my case, but for others it's a source for kids reading programs, computer services for those who can't afford a computer in the home, a social hangout for those who read the Wall street journal, a source for answers to crossword puzzles etc. In this day and age it is evolving into a new entity. I don't know what it will become but I don't believe reduced funding is the answer. New E-books and technological surprises should be a part of the new library, not a substitute for them.
Joel Groebner, resident, Waseca
It used to more quiet. Now the librarians, especially the director are some of the loudest and most boisterous. It appears to have become a day care center with no supervision or oversight. I have witnessed very inappropriate use on the computers.
Comments (7)
I'll graduate with my Master's in Library and Information Science this summer. So obviously I think libraries are very important. History and studies have shown that in bad economic times, library usage always goes up. Libraries are more than just the materials they hold- they are community centers. You can not only go and look at books/dvds/music/etc, you can take a class, research your family history, practice English speaking, get computer/technology help, apply for a job, get tutoring- still think libraries are worthless?
There are always good and bad examples- as there is with anything. But while we may not have the biggest cities here in MN, the Hennepin County library system is considered one of the best in the nation (that's comparing with larger systems like Seattle and New York).
The reason I decided to go into Library Science is because I spent 4 years working in different schools in the Twin Cities. Since school budgets shrink, school librarians tend to get cut along with other "expendables". I worked in schools without school librarians and was so frustrated at how many students knew a lot about technology- but not how to use it efficiently for their education needs.
So just because a lot of people have computers and smart phones doesn't mean they know how to use them. Information literacy is especially important in this day and age and libraries are striving to be at the forefront to learning and then teaching to patrons.
I am a member of the Friends of Lake Elmo Library. Over the years the Friends have raised money and provided furniture and other gifts to the Rosalie Wahl Library, a part of the Washington County library system, and the first library in its system. They wanted to give us a kiosk and some lockers. I read about the controversy and joined the Friends only recently, though a nearly 40 year resident in Lake Elmo. I value the library, even though I have internet and cable access at home. I am a reader. The director of the Stillwater Library said that using library services can save a household nearly $5,000,00 per year, because they can check out videos, CD's, books on tape, and regular library books, and some do not have internet access at home. I see young children experiencing picking out a book to read, mothers chatting while children freely look over the book selections, seniors reading newspapers, and some relaxing reading current magazines. Libraries are community centers, and for us, a still viable and valuable part of the community. We were paying 260,000 dollars to the county, and that money was going to go to the larger libraries. I want children in Lake Elmo particularly in the Old Village to be able to still walk or ride their bikes to the library. I want young mothers to be able to pile their kids in strollers and take them to the library. Our library is a community destination, not just a receptable for information,
I am a librarian in a special library and use the public library frequently. Communities need roads and police and fire protection. Looking back on the past 20 years spent raising my children, I never called the police or fire department but I called upon the public library many thousands of times.
I rediscovered the Saint Paul Public Library this economic downturn as a way to read books without buying them. It's fantastic!
It worries me that people would rather see libraries close than confront them about management.
It also worries me when people talk about the poor having luxuries that they might not actually have. Anecdotes are nothing to close libraries over.
How many people can afford to buy a book, magazine , CD's, DVD's in month or as often as the library makes them available. Libraries manage to bridge the gap between the haves and haves not. Our challenge as libraries is that our service is intangible in the sense that when you get an educated, affluent, knowledgeable, well informed citizen we seldon think that the library played a role that.
Full disclosure: I'm a librarian. I'm also an avid reader and I was once a child.
Libraries are important to communities in part because they are the common ground for their communities. They are open to all - and don't discriminate by age, income, level of education, or interests. I could afford to buy many of the books I read (and I do buy a lot of books) but I have as much right to the public library as those who can't buy books. I love being in the library because it reflects my community in all its variety.
Every time I've moved to a new community, getting a library card was something to do right away, along with getting electricity and gas and water services turned on. It's part of moving in. Closing libraries is turning our backs on our community and saying "I'm not interested in my neighbors. It's every man for himself."
If you don't like something about the way your library is run, talk to the library director. Have you told her or him that the library is too noisy or too chaotic or doesn't offer the materials you want? Are you disturbed by the way your fellow residents use the place? Talk to the director. It's your library. It's everyone's library, and negotiating how the library's users will live together within the walls of a library is part of being a community. It's a microcosm of how we live together. I wouldn't want to live in a city or town that's merely a collection of residences that have nothing in common but emergency services.
In this day in age, 2011, technology is at the point where the bricks and mortar library is not needed. I have spent several weeks at the local libraries, researching what the patrons are doing. By far, it is utilization by families of a high-income bracket, who can easily afford to purchase the services, books and DVDs they are procuring from the library for free, at the expense of taxpayers. Yes, these same users pay the majority of the taxes, but to force non-library users who pay the same amount in taxes is simply unfair. The best solution is to require a $10.00 library card fee accessed to everyone; with exceptions made to children, the elderly and those who fall outside of income guidelines. By doing this we can supply the opportunity to those who need library resources, without allowing those who have substantial income to simply take advantage of a free system. This minor library card charge will easily cover all library expenses, and reduce the forced burdon on taxpayers who don't support the subsidy of patrons who can easily afford to purchase the materials. Why should we provide DVDs to everyone? Or Internet access? If the Public Library system is to be just a glorified Blockbuster then they need to pay taxes such as any similar business must do.
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