Editorial: The “State” of Libraries
An almost good start on the profession's present and future
By Francine Fialkoff, Editor-in-Chief -- Library Journal, 5/1/2006
It is described as an information and community center, an “engaged” social agency reaching out to all, and a place to tap the “productive aging” of baby boomers. Three markedly different reports released within days of each other describe the current and future form of America's libraries with optimism, even if they present very different universes and have different audiences. Taken together they begin to hint at the library's real role in our culture.
First came “The State of America's Libraries,” issued by the American Library Association (ALA) presumably to galvanize media attention. The report is unlikely to attract widespread notice, with its broad, dispassionate description of a current library world that many would not recognize. “Libraries aren't what they used to be. They're more—and better.... Libraries and librarians are good citizens.... Americans appreciate libraries and librarians.”
The best thing you can say about “The State of America's Libraries” is that it should offend very few readers. It “show[s] the many ways in which America's libraries and librarians are not only adapting in the Age of Google but continuing to play a vital role as information providers, information advisers and community centers.” Funny, but from what we hear about America's libraries, their role is much broader than “information.”
Next came The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), focusing on “the role of public libraries in communities.” “Not long ago,” says the report, “a series of funeral announcements were being issued for public libraries.... Local elected officials began questioning the outlay of scarce tax dollars.... Hours were cut, staff reduced, acquisitions postponed.... The future appeared bleak.” That bleak future is echoed partly in the ALA status report, which refers to “funding problems” and branch closings.
Despite that depressing beginning, the bulk of The Engaged Library provides “countervailing evidence” from hundreds of success stories by librarians working with others in the community to be catalysts for change—which ultimately translates to increased public library funding. The ULC report shows real branch managers in the Chicago Public Library (CPL) providing an expanding array of services, not merely “information,” to make libraries a place for all kinds of learning over a lifetime. The report hopes to “spark other[s]...to investigate the catalytic work of libraries in their communities.” It provides a useful tool kit to help librarians spread their stories to community associations, businesses, the public, and elected officials.
Last came Designs for Change: Libraries and Productive Aging, cosponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Americans for Libraries Council. It's another “call to action,” this one to take advantage of baby boomers in libraries and society. Apparently, libraries are not ready for this active group of older Americans. The report calls for services that “match the characteristics and potential contributions of the baby boomer generation”; the training of a cadre of mid-career professionals on older-adult issues; and models and “a best practices database,” reaching across disciplines. “Research suggests that older people become more able to make long-term decisions and assessments and are able to think about future worlds, even those they may be unlikely to see,” notes anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson.
While the ALA report claims to give an overview of America's libraries, The Engaged Library and Designs for Change both vivify what librarians and libraries are doing in their communities and what more they can do still. “The State of America's Libraries” only comes to life when it refers to individual librarians' hurricane rescue efforts. It could have used the passion, commitment, and real-life stories of The Engaged Library, which show the multiplicity of roles a library/librarian plays. Take CPL branch manager Teresa Madrigal. She provides free libraries to Mexican families unused to the concept; email as a cheap way for them to “talk” to relatives in Mexico; adult book clubs and Internet classes in English and Spanish; Mexican newspapers; literacy and financial literacy programs; story hours; and on and on. There's much more to America's libraries than “The State of America's Libraries” would have us believe. Indeed, none of these reports captures the whole story, but together they are almost a good start.
