Libraries, education, and more

A very brief posting today. During the past week I read several articles that proclaimed the importance of education in a democratic society. One included a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." Elsewhere, similar sentiments were expressed in slightly different language. Clearly libraries were not expressly referred to by the late president or the pundits who echoed this theme, but it takes no stretch of the imagination or definition to include them. Yet somehow, without appreciating the irony libraries are excluded from the definition of educational institution when it comes to funding. It would be easy enough to excoriate the officials who determine funding priorities for not recognizing the value of public libraries. There is enough vitriol and incivility available on line and in print to make that sort of response unappealing. The best remedies are positive and proactive. Public libraries "pick up the slack" when school libraries are eliminated, funding for after school programs reduced and alternative sites sought for extracurricular activities. These are cogent reminders of the utility of public libraries. When funds for mandatory summer reading materials disappear the public library fills the void. When children and young adults need a safe after school environment and internet access the library answers both needs. It is equally salient to remind community leaders that libraries, far from isolating themselves from public dialogue and community matters avidly engage in civic culture, be it envisioning a community's future through cooperative long range planning or assessing the impact of new parking regulations on the local business district. There are myriad other ways-adult education, services to new Americans for example- in which libraries contribute to community health and well being, and extend the definition of education. Reminders to that effect are essential and positive examples of the public libraries contributing to the common weal.

New patrons, New uses

Several weeks into the summer and staff members are reporting a noticeable increase in the numbers of people-family units, parent(s) and child, child and older sibling-who are now arriving in the morning and spending the day at the library. “Noticeable increase” is one of those nebulous terms that are anathema to me, but we are only now beginning to quantify the numbers and trying to better describe the composition of these groupings. What I can say categorically, is that these are not single adults “without visible means of support”. We are also seeing unprecedented growth in attendance at children's programming. Historically these are among our most popular programs, but attendance has grown rapidly. Two recent programs for which we anticipated 80 participants attracted 250 and 180 patrons. Other manifestations are a surge in new library card applicants, and many new faces in the audiences. There is also anecdotal evidence that the programs and the library represent a safe harbor for parents and children. Some of the day long stays are directly related to a lack of other options. For example, one young patron confided that they were having financial difficulties at home resulting in interruptions of utilities and phone service. Another young patron described moving from temporary residence to temporary residence and interludes with friends and relatives. Hardly definitive indicators of trends, but I will not be surprised if these are evidence of both increased use and unconventional uses of community assets like the library.

My larger point in submitting these observations is this: I believe we are witnessing evidence of larger and arguably grave conditions affecting the community. Some of our increased usage can plausibly be attributed to reduced personal circumstances, and reduced access to other venues such as recreational programs, the former YMCA, school based libraries and other ancillary activities. Also I do not want to ignore those seeking refuge from the prolonged bout of hot humid weather. I am glad we have the flexibility to adjust to changing needs, but also want to ensure that the larger, portentous community effects are acknowledged and addressed.

Libraries as Community Assets

My new mantra for the Otis Library, or rather my renewed emphasis is on the library as a community asset. That sounds obvious, but observing the state of libraries in other regions there seems to be a significant gap between the acknowledgment and substantive support. Among the more ominous signs of ambivalence: Recent articles on the gutting of the New Jersey library system, including, potentially, elimination of all statewide library programs and services; the closure of the Hood River Oregon Library system, after 98 years of continuous operation,the closure of two of the libraries serving Plainfield, Connecticut, recent turmoil in Pennsylvania, and articles with unsettling titles such as Why Closing More Public Libraries Might Be The Best Thing (...Right Now).
There was a time, not that long ago, when the answer to the question "are libraries community assets?" would have been unequivocally yes. However, if actions-like those cited above-speak louder than words, there is cause for concern. Some of this seems rooted in the glib assertion that everything is available on the Internet. I have addressed that in other blogs, and the arguments against that assumption have not changed. I would only add, to paraphrase a recent post by Delia Lloyd, the Internet is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research skills.

Making a case for the Otis Library

Last night was the second public hearing on the proposed 2010-2011 budget for the city of Norwich. There were large and passionate groups opposed to the level funding of the school budget and school closures, and the cuts inflicted on the social services budget, in particular the reductions at the Rose City Senior Center.

It was also an opportunity to restate our case for better library funding.I have taken the liberty of reproducing my statement to the city council in full for your perusal:

To the Norwich City Council:
First, I want to thank you for your service to the Norwich community. Fiscal oversight is never an easy responsibility, and it is even more burdensome in a difficult and contentious environment such as the one we currently face.
In crafting a final budget document for the 2010-2011 fiscal years you are faced with no easy choices, and the insuperable problem of having too few resources to satisfy the needs of every constituency.
I have attended most of the departmental budget presentations and the public hearings and heard cogent cases made for departments without whose collaboration and support the library could not function. I will not enumerate them all, but I must mention the Department of Public Works, the Norwich Police Department, Fire Department, the Department of Human Services, school department and the Norwich Parks and Recreation Department. Each renders invaluable service to the Norwich Community, and at some point during the past 12 months each has assisted the library as a service provider or collaborator.
Clearly, the library represents but one part of a complex budgeting equation, and will be judged by a set of values and priorities you must carefully consider. Perhaps one of the dilemmas in making a decision about the library’s place in the budgeting equation is that we do not fit into one easily identified category, like public safety or a school system. Art Brodsky the communications director for Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group, summed up this conundrum nicely: libraries serve a range of purposes - they help teach children to read, they help students work on projects, they provide meeting space for tutoring, they provide Internet access. They serve students, seniors, immigrants. They provide assistance to the unemployed. Libraries combine education, workforce development, socialization, recreation. But they aren't the school board, or a social services agency, and so they generally get buried in the larger budgets.
As you deliberate, I would like you to consider Brodsky’s comments and the following observations: In one forum or another I have quoted at length from local, state and national indicators substantiating the use of the library by the public. I have referred to quantifiable increases in visits, circulation and library card applications. Of equal salience, in a community where the poverty level is above the state average, over 11% compared to 7.8% across Connecticut, the need for our services is clear. It is equally clear that the envisioned reductions to the library roll back our capacity to provide services to the parlous conditions at the beginning of this decade, a time when the library facility was cramped, the collections outdated, and per capita support anemic.
Every community has a unique base of assets upon which to build its future. The Otis Library is part of Norwich’s asset base, along with schools, parks, social service organizations, and hospitals. The library is a visible and formal part of the community fabric. Reductions at the levels contained in the current draft budget diminish both the library and the community it serves. Diminished as well are the incentives for future community stability and growth, for newcomers to select Norwich as their home and for current residents to maintain allegiance to this city. I hope, therefore, that you will revisit the proposed budget and contemplate its effect on our asset base, the funds allocated to our asset base generally and the library specifically.

Libraries:Then, Now, and in the Future

I recently picked up a copy of Main Street, Sinclair Lewis's 1920 novel of life in the small Midwestern town of Gopher Prairie. What resonated with me, aside from the many personalities still recognizable 90 years hence, were the pungent comments about urban libraries. Even then, apparently, the diversity of urban patrons and their proclivities invited reproofs from commentators. When Miss Villets, the Gopher Prairie librarian disdains library methods in large cities-St. Paul, Minnesota specifically-because they afforded shelter to "tramps and all sorts of dirty persons practically sleeping in the reading-rooms" there is a tone familiar to current patrons and staff. Mercifully, some of her more belligerent comments, those about turning libraries into nursing homes and kindergartens for example, have given way to a more expansive and inclusive vision of what public(s) constitute the modern library's constituency. Very likely Miss Villets would approach apoplexy at the diversity of programs and active public engagement encouraged by the Otis Library and embedded in its mission statement. The ability of libraries in general, and this library in particular to evolve and adapt, to provide essential services and embrace new community roles gives me hope for the future.

Libraries are often labeled as quality of life enhancements, especially when the subject involves money and support. There is an unspoken assumption in that label, that perhaps things that promote quality of life are somehow less essential, less worthy of serious consideration than infrastructure, safety, and transportation. Were that so, in a harsh financial climate the reductions to the library, as articulated in the 2010-2011 city budget might appear tactically prudent. Strategically they are arguably imprudent. Every community has a unique base of assets upon which to build its future, to attract new residents and businesses and maintain the fealty of those currently situated. The Otis Library is part of Norwich’s asset base, along with schools, parks, social service organizations, and hospitals. The library is a visible and formal part of the community fabric. Reductions at the levels recommended-$100,000- for the forthcoming fiscal year both diminish the library and the community it serves. Diminished as well are the incentives for future community stability and growth.

Briefly Noted

On Friday I read a provocative article by Craig Mod entitled "Books in the Age of the iPad". It was well balanced, and a welcome relief from the hubris of the "print is dead" crowd and the angst of those who foresee the imminent disappearance of the public library and print. I do not happen to see either as imminent, although I do believe that libraries need to examine their missions and their roles as community resources. That is an opportunity implicit in Mod's article. I am also struck by his version of the book's future, one in which the formless books-the airport paperback to coin a phrase-"the book printed without consideration of form or sustainability or longevity" are the domain of the e-reader, while print volumes "embrace their physicality — working in concert with the content to illuminate the narrative."

These will be books:

◦Confident in form and usage of material.
◦That exploit the advantages of print.
◦Are built to last.

The results are, as Mod see it:

◦The Books We Make will feel whole and solid in the hands.
◦The Books We Make will smell like now forgotten, far away libraries.
◦The Books We Make will be something of which even our children — who have fully embraced all things digital — will understand the worth.
◦The Books We Make will always remind people that the printed book can be a sculpture for thoughts and ideas.

"Anything less than this will be stepped over and promptly forgotten in the digital march forward." There is some way to go until we reach this point, and I encourage you to read carefully the many comments elicited by Mod's argument. There is still plenty of room for debate, as witnessed by the points and counterpoints offered by the respondents

Libraries and Communities

Today's holiday offers a bit of thinking space, and an opportunity to comment on libraries and their roles in the community. In the case of the Otis Library, this involes a broader involvement in community affairs, and a willingness to act as an agent of change. For example, the library now works with the Norwich Community Development Corporation, Norwich city government and other stakeholders to develop an economic vision and plan for Downtown Norwich. Keep in mind that when the library decided to remain at its downtown site, one of the considerations was its ability to generate foot traffic and act as a catalyst for a renascent downtown. It is our responsibilty to help shape the municipality that Norwich residents desire. That means grappling with tough and sensitive issues of who populates the business district, what other services are present and who do they attract. The Otis Library cannot remain aloof from these matters or consciously ignore them. We must also acknowledge that finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems-empty real estate and a transient population to suggest two-requires collaboration and community engagement, the assembling of facts,planning and the foreswearing of speculation in the guise of informed opinion. The library, as a center of community activity and a public forum has an critical role to play in this process.