Comments on: Libraries in the Meritocracy

By: Carolyn Wood

Carolyn Wood — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:48:50 +0000

Libraries are knowledge dens – lucky you – I’m not charging a consulting fee to share the news.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:59:41 +0000

“Librarians will be more successful with their propaganda if they realize that most Americans consider America a meritocracy and figure out where to place public libraries in that belief.”

Absolutely.

“What modern-day Carnegie would fund libraries to supply videogames? Or to be simply free Internet cafes?”

Whoa there. You seem to have a consistent prejudice for books and against other media. I’ll let you in on a secret: most videogames are meaningless pap. Most of the internet is meaningless pap. Most books are too!

Also, if you’re interested in books purely for their educational content (not that you are, of course, because that would be hopelessly narrow) then you’d do well to consider that people learn much better from interactive and communal activities than they do from reading on their own – uh oh, here comes big ol’ Mr Internet and his pretty wife, Mrs Vidja Games.

You can’t intelligently differentiate the value, educational or artistic, based on method of presentation; give it up already. In the days of the Victorians old fogeys denounced the modern novel as empty and lowbrow entertainment; you could have said the same thing about the earliest films. I’m sure that dumb old cavepeople said the same thing about young and inventive cavepeople’s tales, dances, and cave paintings. Don’t follow their example, and don’t align yourself with the wrong side of progress! Just focus on finding the good bits of the media you hate so much and guide people towards those. For example, MIT has something like 1900 courses available online for free right now; they range from microeconomics (bootstraps, anyone?) to literature. That’s some amazing content that you can’t possibly have in a paper-driven information culture. Open your eyes and point yourself at the future already!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:44:17 +0000

Responding to Karl: It is not the responsibility of libraries to provide entertainment, much less an obligation to do so. But how could one possibly dissuade you from this irrational belief?

No argument exists that would change your mind; not even by pointing out that places of amusement, recreation centers, bars, cable tv… ARE there for the purposes of entertainment.

And to all others who scoff at AL’s statments — you miss the point of the post so entirely that, for the moment, I am unable to find the words…

That includes education, access to electronic communication, and yes ENTERTAINMENT! This is about quality of life people and without play, fun, distraction, hobbies, etc. we would be even more stressed out than we generally are. I beg anyone to dissuade me from this idea that we have an OBLIGATION to provide for all these areas that our patrons demand of us.

By: emcall

emcall — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:19:00 +0000

During my internship in grad school I work within the wall of the Homestead Library. This library like many AG libraries displays a over sized portrait of the man for all to see. From time to time I’ve listened while the stories where being recited by senior citizens (female-genre) still living in the Homestead ares. Those intimacy familiar with AG would say, “he did a lot for my children or there was always something for the kids to do”. However, when the men of the community spoke about AG, they referred to him as the “big guy” or SOB. Their views were sharply different from the ladies. They would speak frankly about and recount details about how sick there best friend got from the soot in there lungs, how there old buddies became drunks, and even how poor he kept us”….hmm…I wonder about this little five foot tall, penniless as a child Scottish immigrant who some say was governed by his mother, I really don’t know. One thing I know for sure is that everyone has a place in the public library. One other thought money is considered the root of all thing even some of the good and bad posting I’ve just read. Just a annoyed thought

By: gadickson

gadickson — Thu, 20 May 2010 11:00:28 +0000

Excellent argument.

By: Coastside Librarian

Coastside Librarian — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:05:14 +0000

AL, you nailed it. In my town, we’re trying to consolidate two libraries into one and we are very aware that people are not going to pony up for a new library so that we can do movie nights in a roundabout theater …

We all need to hitch our wagons to weightier concerns and emphasize our partnership with local schools, colleges, and adult learning centers – we should be all about providing the means by which people can change and/or improve their circumstances (although a good movie can be just the thing to change your outlook, I get that)…

I hate it when librarians tout the “free” angle – I tell people none of it’s free, it all costs money and and you already paid for it with your taxes – aside from the convenience of buying it yourself, why pay for it twice?

Great blog, glad you’re back – whoever was subbing for you didn’t have your edge or incisive style … you have a distinctive voice and we all need to hear it. Thanks.

By: HansErich

HansErich — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:19:11 +0000

Just a few crabby thoughts about Andrew Carnegie, from an Andrew Carnegie library. Could part of his great generosity be due to guilt?? I refer to his role (and the role of other “barons” of his era, in causing the Johnstown Flood. He and the Mellons and others considered the lake caused by a dam on the river to be their private preserve and playground. They forbade the necessary repairs to the breastwork with the disastrous results that are familiar to us all.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:59:59 +0000

I work in a Carnegie library, but I don’t like Andrew Carnegie…why? Because I believe he used his fortune to build libraries, and other things to soothe his guilt on how he treated his workers on the one hand as someone pointed out above. Also, he and the Mellons and others were responsible for the Johnstown Flood by considering the dammed lake their own fiefdom and not allowing repairs on the dam breast, with the result that is known to all of you.

By: Librarian who wished she had more time t

Librarian who wished she had more time t — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:50:59 +0000

Some of those Carnegie libraries also had gymnasiums, indoor swimming pools and theaters!
And, who is to way what is educational or a tool to help a person help themself to improve? Those video gamers may take those skills and become a great jet pilot that saves a village! Even good social interaction, that benefits everyone, is a learned behavior and a useful tool that can be developed just by attending programs etc. Even getting kids off the street is a useful tool for some and justifies teen programming! Education comes in all forms–remember that, as a baby learns at play, so many of us losers might also. And, by the way, what do you think of fiction? What would be your rationale for keeping it–you know, they did have fiction a long time ago too. The true message we should be getting out there is that libraries are centers for life long learning–and that learning can be fun!

By: Lenin's Ghost

Lenin's Ghost — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:33:35 +0000

We do have an obligation to our patrons and to society in general.

What librarians FAIL to do, and most fail miserably at it, it to convince the powers that be why they need money.

I have watched first hand as librarians try to lobby my local legislature and it is a sight to see. The librarians take the approach that they are right and simply everyone should know that they need support.

They don’t have meaningful numbers.

They don’t have statistics to back up any thing they say.

It is all touchy feely life long learning crap that leave people feeling like they just shook hands with the amazing Mister Limpet.

Learn the system or you will see libraries shuttered across the land.