The
Value of Libraries (L4L)
Posted: April 29, 2004
Document author: Greta Thompson
Librarians often feel
that libraries are a self-evident good like apple pie, babies, and a sunlit
lake. We shouldn’t have to explain why they’re important. Everyone
knows they are.
Unfortunately, not everyone
does know they’re valuable, and even those who do often think of them
as a community asset that doesn’t and shouldn’t require much
money. In some ways Wisconsin’s state laws support that point of view
by permitting any community to establish a public library without specifying
any particular level of financial support.
Good libraries, like
good fire and police services, require funding and trained staff, as well
as a wide range of resources and up-to-date equipment. Library patrons,
staff and trustees often realize that, but saying it to a local or state
legislator doesn’t make a case. Why does the community need the library?
And we have the Internet, why do we need a library too?
If you clutch when you’re
faced with these or similar questions, here are some possibilities to keep
in mind.
The
library supports democracy.
“Libraries make democracy work by providing access to information so that
citizens can make the decisions necessary to govern themselves” [American
Libraries, December 1995]. The article goes on to quote the authors of Democracy
and the Public Library: “The public library is the only institution
in American society whose purpose is to guard against the tyrannies of ignorance
and conformity, and its existence indicates the extent to which a democratic
society values knowledge, truth, justice, books, and culture.” |
The
library helps businesses.
In 2001 over 29 million people visited libraries in Wisconsin.
According to a survey done by the Urban Libraries Council, “High foot traffic
attracts businesses that depend on people feeling safe using them,
key businesses like grocery stores that often serve as private-sector
anchors for neighborhood renewal” (Library Journal,
May 15, 2001). Add to that the services that libraries offer to businesses
directly and to community enrichment, and libraries turn out to be
a key asset for businesses. |
The library fosters community.
Families can go there together and find something for everyone. Programs can
bring people together from all over the community, people who might not otherwise
meet, as well as people who might otherwise be isolated and friendless. What’s
more, the library is the repository of our history in this community, this
state, and this country; and we need to study the past in order to know where
we are now and what decisions to make for the future. |
The library levels the playing field.
The library makes all kinds of resources available to everyone from the richest
to the poorest, from the best educated to the illiterate, from the Mayflower
descendant to the most recent immigrant. It increasingly offers email and
Internet access to those who can’t afford their own computers, as well
as literacy and ESL programs and materials, and electronic databases that
provide financial, health, and historical information. |
The library nourishes learning and creativity.
We think of the public library as a treasure house for children
who go to story hours, attend summer reading programs, and do
their homework there; and this is indeed a significant role,
perhaps the most significant one in a democracy. But it is or
can be just as true for adults, who take advantage of the library’s
resources to learn new skills, read about different cultures and viewpoints,
or take part in programs on topics ranging from the works of Stephen Ambrose
to wildflowers of Wisconsin. |
Librarians help transform data into knowledge.
We don’t need more information so much as we need the right information
in a form that we can use and trust, and that’s where skilled library
staff come in. Where do I find the information or the book that I need? The
Internet site that has relevant, accurate information? For that matter, who
can tell me about a novel that I might like as well as the one I just finished? |
We frequently hear that
libraries are not essential services in the way that fire and police services
are, and there is, of course, truth in that. We must have life and safety
before we can enjoy either; but we want life and safety so that we can enjoy
and learn about and perhaps contribute to the richness of our world and
culture. That’s when libraries become essential.
Resources/URLs
Supporting public libraries in Outagamie and Waupaca counties