Advocating for libraries in crisis

June 16, 2010

At this point it’s not really news that many libraries–especially school libraries–are in trouble. And that library trouble is spreading throughout the library world: Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal are all for sale. Jessamyn West offers a list compiled by Library Journal of libraries in crisis. Is your library on the list? Are you wondering what you can do?

Some people are speaking up for their libraries by making videos. The Monroe County Community School Corporation’s school libraries were recently saved and I’d like to think that the video students, teachers, and the librarian at Templeton Elementary School made of the play they wrote and performed during National Library Week, “The Case of the Missing Librarian,” had something to do with it.

And Laura Graff of Sun Valley High School in California created “Bleeding Libraries,” a vision of what will happen when libraries close due to budget cuts.

Beth Gallaway got the detailed story behind the video in a recent YALSA blog post from Laura including how she came up with the idea, some behind-the-scenes looks, and how the video took off.

I tend to assume that everyone within libraryland is an unconditional library lover and supporter, but another recent YALSA blog post challenged that assumption. Linda Braun, the president of YALSA–the president of YALSA–asked if every library was worth saving.

LWB: Yeah, I get that. We do need to get the word out about the importance of libraries. But here’s the thing I’ve been thinking about. As someone who consults and teaches librarians to be – Should all libraries be saved? I hear horror stories about libraries that provide really bad service and have really bad collections.

Do we want to save those libraries too?

mk: Well, is that the fault of the library itself, or is it symptomatic of leadership within the library or the community?

LWB: Either I suppose, but if we have the rallying cry of save all libraries will that change? Isn’t it a band-aid to save all libraries and then have the same service and same problems keep happening?

Why not save some libraries and be honest about the bad stuff that’s going on in some places?

She does say she’s playing the devil’s advocate and if you keep reading, I think what Linda is saying isn’t so much that some libraries shouldn’t be saved, but that some libraries need a lot of work. And in a small way, I agree that we don’t always turn a critical enough eye to our profession, to what our libraries are doing, and to what they could or should be doing. But especially now when libraries are being threatened, it’s frightening to think that admitting our imperfections–even if we’ve also got a plan to remedy those–might mean the end of our library entirely.

Reacting to Braun’s article and coming from a library system that’s currently being threatened, Hood and Hat insists that it’s time for action, not discussion. She also points out that while some adults argue the value of libraries to themselves, there’s no question that libraries are good for kids.

But it’s adults who have power and voice in our society, so we need to be able to talk about why libraries matter and what they do and then take action. Zen College Life gives us 85 reasons to be thankful for libraries and while some are jokey (“Colleges need something to remodel every so often” and “A library is a great excuse to get out of the house (seriously, why would anyone argue with you about it?)”), some really get to the heart of what it is libraries do: we offer free Internet access to people who would otherwise be shut out of the online world, not everything can be found online and librarians can help you find very specific information, we teach children literacy and problem-solving skills. In making lists like these, I think instead of thinking about what libraries do, it’s more helpful to think about what would be missing from the community if the library was gone.

Karl Siewert advocates for the library by infiltrating Instructables, explaining in just a few easy steps how you can get any information you could possibly need (hint: the required materials are a library card and the ability to ask questions).

Jessamyn West also compiled a list of single link advocacy sites supporting libraries in need. If a library in your area is on the list, check out the site and see what you can do.

And while talking on the Internet about how great libraries are has its place, the best way to stand up for your library is through concrete, real-world action. Use your library and give them the circ stats and program attendance numbers they need to make their case. Vote for ballot measures that support library funding. Talk to your legislators and tell them libraries are important to you. The best people to advocate for libraries aren’t librarians–they’re people who aren’t formally associated with the library. We need non-librarians to champion us.

If you’re going to be in DC around the end of the month, consider attending the AASL rally at Capitol hill on Library Advocacy Day to support school libraries. Whether you’re a librarian or not, we need to show our numbers and use our voices to support our libraries.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Tags: indiana, library cuts, school libraries, support your library, videos, yalsa