As a young child rummages through a large stack of books, pulled from the seemingly never-ending shelves lining the children’s section of a public library, a thought is planted in the depths of his developing brain. It’s a simple notion– he loves books, and he loves that this library has so many.
Little did he know, this thought would only grow in size and complexity as he grew up, and so too would the importance of this library in his life beyond providing books. Little did he know, this library would be changing his life each time he walked in, each time he thought about it, and each time it provided an escape from the financial struggles his family constantly felt. Fifteen years later, that library continues to impact him.
Public libraries have had a long-standing relationship with the communities they serve, providing free resources and offering youth and adult programs, jobs and volunteer opportunities, educational resources, and a variety of other benefits. They often serve as unofficial daycares for kids after school, during the weekends and summers when the safety, provision, and resources of school end and their at-home realities begin. Libraries offer a place free of judgment and free of charge for the use of its facilities.
For many people and communities, the public library is fundamental to their access to needed services– such as computer/internet access, educational help, and resources– as well as to entertainment and activities like books, movies, and a variety of programs ranging in topics.
The American Library Association (ALA) suggests that the presence of public libraries in communities yields a variety of benefits, especially in the realms of economy, community development, and education/literacy growth. In the economic sector, they help boost business and workforce development, create jobs, and increase return on investment, along with other general economic impacts related to the circulation of books and the use of the library’s resources such as the internet.
On a community level, public libraries connect people and ideas, help develop a community’s identity, manage equity by providing free resources to all people, and in general, strengthen the vitality and knowledge of a community. Librarians are harborers of information and recreation, both of which are vital to the health and availability of opportunities for a population, but they also provide opportunities for social and community engagement.
From an educational and literacy perspective, public libraries are providers of “critical youth literacy services,” keepers of educational resources such as books, and are professionals in information location. They also help to maintain and grow reading ability and a sense of achievement. They are particularly important in bridging the gap between school and breaks and in encouraging the extra-curricular pursuit of knowledge and reading for enjoyment.
The notable benefits of libraries are also backed up by research. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center Study, “about half of all Americans, ages 16 and over, used a public library in the past year, and two-thirds say that closing their local branch would have a ‘major impact on their community.” Unfortunately, the budgets for public libraries in many parts of the country are being heavily reduced, and their importance has been challenged as the digital world becomes more prominent. A rift is emerging in which public libraries are being used frequently and their benefits are being clearly noted, but their place in a digital world and as a part of a free-market economy is being challenged, and because of that, their budgets are being reduced.
In a now-deleted Forbes article, economist Panos Mourdoukoutas argues that “Amazon should open their own bookstores in all local communities. They can replace local libraries and save taxpayers lots of money while enhancing the value of their stock.” He suggests that while libraries have proven their value in the past, many of their valuable aspects can be found in other places, such as Starbucks or services like Amazon’s bookstores. He suggests that libraries are not truly free because they are funded by taxpayer money, and that by allowing institutions like Amazon, Starbucks, and streaming services like Netflix to step in where libraries once were, the economy will benefit and shareholder values will increase without having to rely on taxes to stay funded. The article was met with significant backlash from the library community as well as communities that benefit from public libraries.
Reduced budgets, and a growing sentiment from politicians and economists that libraries are outdated, place strain on public libraries to maintain their facilities and services, which then affects their ability to provide. Sociologist Eric Klineberg, in his New York Times op-ed about the importance of libraries to civil society, offers this reflection: “Libraries stand for and exemplify something that needs defending: the public institutions that — even in an age of atomization, polarization and inequality — serve as the bedrock of civil society.”
Public libraries serve as important a role as ever, especially in a society in which social, economic, and health issues have become only more prominent and in need of long-term solutions, not band-aids. The need for accurate information, valuable resources, and social institutions in which anyone is welcomed cannot be clearer. Libraries are particularly important to underserved communities and populations who are especially impacted by these social, economic, and health issues and are just as important to maintaining balance in communities that are more equipped to deal with these issues. Instead of investing further in capitalistic practices, gentrification, and law enforcement to solve society’s problems, we should be focusing on recognizing the impact of proper and equal opportunity in creating a more equitable and civil society, and the role of libraries in fostering that opportunity.
Without public libraries, there is no enforcer to curb the monetization of needed resources, and there is no one to be the voice and guiding light for the underserved, for the disproportionately affected populations. Without public libraries, there is no one to maintain the tension between providing for the people and feeding capitalism. Librarians aren’t just book readers, they are information keepers, opportunity providers, and gatekeepers of equal access.