Yes, Libraries Are Still Relevant
I have found that the people who usually claim public libraries are no longer a public necessity are the people in a position not to need them
We can find everything online these days. Whether it’s a free lecture on astrophysics or streaming the latest shows, the internet has everything! But what about those who can’t get online at all?
As a librarian with over ten years of experience working in public libraries (and decades more as a library patron), I would need more than two hands to count how many times I’ve been told that public libraries are dying. I would soon be out of a job. Ironically, most of these interactions took place within a library (which was amusing to me but a point I stoically kept to myself).
Americans Like Public Libraries
Research has shown time and time again that public libraries and the librarians who work within them are consistently viewed favorably by the American public. Still, for some reason, there is an unsupported perception that libraries are dying as an institution, that the librarians within are as outdated as the dusty tomes on the shelves, crumbling under the weight of obsoletion.
In my experience, I have found that the people who usually claim public libraries are no longer a public necessity are the people in a position not to need them: that is, they tend to have fast, reliable internet access at home, enough disposable income to buy any books or media they might want to, and have had the privilege of obtaining higher education through traditional means. It’s relatively easy to claim that something is obsolete when you don’t need (or even want) to use it. However, there are far more people who do need the resources a public library provides than there are who do not. For example, for those who can buy the latest and greatest phone every year, it’s difficult to imagine what it’s like to have a phone that might not have data or to lack the funds required to connect online regularly.
Internet is Essential…
Imagine not being able to check email at home or not being able to afford the $100 study guide for a certification exam. Those two points are perfectly valid reasons to visit a public library: free high-speed internet and the ability to check out the textbook, not to mention other helpful resources.
But what about entertainment? Are only those who can afford it able to enjoy books and media? While one manga volume might cost around $12.00, buying the complete series, potentially dozens of volumes, would cost hundreds. What about popular TV series? DVDs, Blu-rays, and exclusive subscription services are expensive. How about the latest bestsellers? New releases are often only available in hardcover, which costs about $30. Libraries offer these materials to anyone who will use them, regardless of whether they can afford them, because public libraries were created for everyone to use. Andrew Carnegie funded many public libraries in the United States because he wholeheartedly believed this, building 1,700 libraries across the nation before his death in 1919.
…But the Internet is Not Accessible to Everyone
Some argue that the internet has everything a public library has and could replace libraries entirely soon (if it hasn’t already). While there are many issues with this sentiment, I’m going to focus on the first issue, reliable access: one cannot use the internet to get the answers to their questions or fulfill their entertainment needs if one does not have it.
While internet access in some form or another has been available to many Americans for decades, there are still about 19 million Americans, 6% of the population, still waiting for access. This is primarily due to the lack of infrastructure in their area, typically rural or tribal lands. Further, my town’s high-speed, gigabit internet access is around $70 a month. In contrast, the national averages are about $58 for high-speed internet and $36 for basic. Nearly two-thirds of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, the highest number recently, including many six-figure earners.
These issues combined mean about a quarter of households in the United States are without internet, meaning millions of Americans forgo access entirely or have to find other ways to connect, so they don’t get left out…or left behind.
The “Digital Divide” Still Exists
Librarians have long been familiar with the term “digital divide,” a term that emerged in the 1990s that illustrates the hard line between the haves and the have-nots regarding the internet, technology, and information access. For many Americans, internet access is too expensive to have or may not be available at all. If the internet is too costly, books and other resources are, too. These are just a couple of the many reasons libraries are still needed and will continue to be required in the future.
Until there is equal and equitable access to the internet and educational, informational, and entertainment resources, libraries and the librarians within them will help provide those resources to anyone who needs them for free.
Please take a moment to sign our petition against book bans in the United States.
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