Yes Forbes Communities Do Need Their Libraries

I don’t get it.  When reading articles like the one In Forbes on July 21, 2018, which suggests that Amazon replace libraries because it would be “economical”, one has to scratch their heads.  What were the editors of Forbes thinking when they printed this article?  Seriously, this makes about as much sense as privatizing the court system, the police station and fire station.  No good can come from it.  The advocates for this silly idea have clearly not thought this through.   Honestly, they have never seen a tax they liked or needed.  In a sense, one can sympathize with their lack of confidence in government taxation and spending .   At the same time, they need to admit some government spending is needed and required for societies to flourish and grow. Libraries enrich and transform communities:  large or small, rich or poor.  Before giving into the proverbial knee jerk, and agree that the need for libraries has passed, one question should be posed to the staff of Forbes magazine.  What message are we sending to children and their parents across the nation?   Is it that investing government dollars to ensure that people have access to information is a bad thing?  Or is it that reading is not important unless you can afford it?  In my humble opinion, it is a short sighted move on the part of Forbes to advocate a smaller reader base.   This could at some point hurt their profits.   Not to be an alarmist or conspiracy theorist, but  what is really frightening is that as a society, it is increasingly the norm that children are more inclined to look at a computer screen than pick up a book.  Reading levels are dropping and the reality of an illiterate society is not that farfetched.      Icons and touch screens have made it more convenient to connect with what is wanted or needed.
 As a professional librarian and library director for over twenty-five years, this argument has been made over and over again.  Each time, it falls on it’s own hallow merits.   Just one example is the research into Public and private schools have seen reading skills boost tremendously when a full staffed library is part of the school’s curriculum.  In  study conducted to determine the effectiveness of school libraries in Michigan, it was found that elementary school who had access to a school library excelled higher in reading skills compared to those who didn’t.  This was a 35% difference in reading schools.  Those numbers are hard facts that point to the solution of poor reading skills.
Additionally, public libraries have continuously been the “bridge” to aid economically challenged neighborhoods to engage in governmental programs.  According to Pew Research in 2016, 47% of African Americans who use libraries on a regular basis go to use the libraries computer and internet access.    Those who rely on the library for assistance in finding jobs or programs for family literacy and a host of other assistance truly have nowhere else to go.  Will Amazon help someone find employment?   Can Amazon provide story times for toddlers, which help language and literacy skills development? More importantly, is this a sign from our current societal state that it is preferable to “click” on a button to receive services instead of human interaction?  Amazon is great for many things, but as a library it simply does not measure up.
   Libraries contribution to society is what one can call the intangible.     It is difficult to put a price on human growth and learning.  It is my honor to be part of an institution that has been around far longer than Artificial intelligence and has always invested in HI or otherwise known as Human intelligence.

National Library Week 2014: Libraries Are Important

Libraries are important. Three simple words but to many these words are meaningless. They convey a belief or opinion that libraries have value. That libraries, of all sizes and types, should be held in high esteem. This high esteem does come with a price tag. After all anything of value should and always have had a number placed next to it to give it it's stature if you will. However, when a country like the United States (and even a few European countries) begin to doubt the strengths that a library in the community provides, it's disturbing to say the least. This is not the first time this topic has been discussed among library professionals or on this blog. It is an ongoing discussion that seeks to find the answer to "marketing" the library in a way that is enticing to patrons of all ages. Yet the words "Libraries are Important" begs one to ask why, how or when. The Pew Research Center conducted survey in 2013 to find out how the typical American felt about the public library. The answers and the numbers are illuminating and sheds some light on the why, how and when are libraries important. One of the most interesting number to pop out of this research is that 67% of respondents to the survey stated that a library closure would be a "major" impact on their family's life. That's an interesting figure seeing how just in New York City in May 2013 they were projecting that 60 of the cities' libraries would have to close. This was due to lack of funding and the route of privatization was being being pursued. Where is the disconnect here? In one major city 6o libraries will close yet in the research group 67% said that a community without a library would affect their families in a major way. In the boroughs of New York there are neighborhoods that not only need their libraries but will be disconnected to resource in a major way due to economic conditions. The case can always be made that libraries are a huge influence on the community. If there is a good library in the neighborhood, children have a safe place to go for programs or do homework. Adults have a place to gather information for home or work life. The lament continues: economic hardships brings more patrons through the door while at the same time, financial support for libraries drops. For the sake of the 67% who value the library, something has to be done to stop the maddening cycle of funding, then no funding. In many counties and cities across the United States, people are already seeing the demise of the local bookstore. Borders is gone. B. Dalton's is gone. Barnes & Nobles is on the way out. The only "bookstore" that is thriving is Amazon, which as everyone knows, it's online. Are libraries soon to follow suit? No and here's why. Bookstores are in the business to sell books. All kinds of books. If the economy is not healthy, the consumers don't have extra spending money. Not a good thing for a store but wonderful for a library. Bookstores also don't like people sitting around reading, unless the book has been purchased. Libraries on the other hand encourage reading in their buildings. As a matter of fact, the more readers the better. (Barnes & Nobles does have a coffee shop in the store, which may entice readers to sit, sip coffee and read. However, trust this one fact, managers are giving the stink eye to those who are reading a book. They can't help but wonder if the book has been bought or if the reader will buy it.) Bookstores have tried to model themselves after libraries in the hopes that it will draw readers into the stores. It turns out that people only go to the bookstore when they want to purchase a book. With libraries, there are a host of reasons to come in without feeling obligated to pull out their wallets. Libraries are what can be termed the "safe zone" to browsing, lingering and reading in the isles. Lastly, to be perfectly blunt, if a bookstore closes it does not impact a families' lifestyle. If they want a book to purchase, they will go somewhere else. For library services on the other hand, there is no where to go but to a library. Is there a good answer to why a library closing would impact a family? The best answer is that the library is a support for parents helping children with homework. It's a support for older patrons who need social interactions and book discussion groups fill that need. It's a support for job seekers looking for work or high school students preparing for SATs. In short it supports just about every type of household in the community. When is a library closing a major impact? When children in an urban city like New York or Detroit have to go across town to use a library. Let's be honest. If it is too hard for child to get to the library, they won't go. How can a parent, or mentor encourage reading when the opportunities are not readily available. Mayors de Blaio and Duggan should consider that children with low reading skills tend to drop out of school and their economic opportunities for jobs dwindle. (That's a rant for another day.) If the future of those children are not bright, then the city's future is just as dim. This week we celebrate National Library Week. why? For the reason that began this discussion. Libraries are important. They truly are. If just for a moment the country could just close their eyes and imagine a world without libraries, what would they envision? Hopefully, once they've open their eyes they will realize how horrible it would be not to have a library. For many, like the 67%, the idea is unthinkable. Let's try to convince the other 33% that it's unthinkable for them as well.

Good News From the Pew: Reading and Library Habits Are On the Rise

There is good news out there in the reading world. Could anyone have guessed that young adults are reading and using their libraries? It really shouldn't be a surprise to those working in libraries and bookstores. With the slew of writers in the Young Adult genres that keep producing compelling stories that has readers begging for more this certainly not a surprise. Every generation no matter if the times are good or bad, everyone loves a good story. When the Pew Research recently presented their findings on the habits of young readers there were a couple of surprises. (Younger Americans Reading and Library Habits, October 23 3012) One surprise that instantly leaps out of the report is the format usage for younger readers. It is interesting to note that young adult (16-29) who read books in the past 12 months, read a print version more often than an e-book or audio book. This seems to be odd coming from the generation that basically grew up with the Internet, gaming systems and cell phones. Why would the numbers be so lopsided? There could be many reasons which can start with economics situation at home to a child's school policy which prohibits all types of electronic gadgets in schools, including cellphones and e-readers. This is not to say that this age group is not adapting to technology, it simply just may be that print is still an acceptable format for books. As the e-readers grow in popularity and usage it should be interesting to revisit how reading habits will change yet again. High school students are more likely to use the library more frequently than any other age group. This can be attributed to the need for completing homework assignments. High schoolers are also open to receiving book suggestions from a librarian. In the same survey, over 50% of high schoolers said that they did not think that libraries were that important in their lives. Looking at the overall picture of the survey this isn't necessarily a bad view. It simply means that the young adults today will more than likely support the library as adults. To take it a step further, the stretch can be made that they will be the patrons that will embrace technology changes within the library. Libraries will always have to compete for every tax dollar from the citizens. If they are not up-to-date with technology or simply serving a small population seeking to stay with a "print" majority, the library will lack relevance not only directly to the community they serve but in their counties and states. It's not a bad idea to begin a program called No Library Left Behind to help smaller libraries keep up with the technological trends. Thus keeping them relevant in the eyes of their community. Perhaps the most fascinating part of the survey is that high schoolers did not know that e-book borrowing was available at the library. Could it be that they are walking into a library and are following the adage what you see is what you get? Changing this perception may take time since most teens hate asking "What services do you offer?" for fear that they may look silly asking the question. As the library begins to shift towards to digital reading, the progress will be gradual. Keeping this in mind it will have to be every librarians' duty to promote e-contents and help patrons discover and use them effectively. This comes from the top down. This includes the Library Directors who should promote the technology to local officials and agencies to the circulation clerk when assisting patrons to check out books asking the question "Do you know you can borrow e-books at this library?" The whole survey is good news for libraries. It is a good indication that the support for libraries is strong across all age levels. That should make the "Year" if not the "decade" for every librarian. This study definitely points to the need for libraries now and twenty years from now. Once again proof that libraries are not dead yet. In fact, it should be said out loud, libraries are not even on life support. Given the right leadership and willing tho grow with the challenges of new technology there should be no reason for any library to have to close its doors ever.