While the term “library” signifies for students anything from research help to workplace to social hub, the image of libraries in popular culture is decidedly more negative. As the 2007 documentary “The Hollywood Librarian” explored, “library” mostly conjures up images of stuffy old rooms staffed by spectacled spinsters. While this negative portrayal may seem harmless — after all, librarians are hardly the only profession suffering from Hollywood’s perpetual mischaracterization — it is merely one incarnation of an assault on public libraries that is exacerbating the gap between rich and poor in the United States.
A recent article in the Atlantic identified education level and age as decisive factors in how many books Americans read a year. But a Pew Research Center study this month on which the article was based revealed a far more pressing issue: Reading is an invariably classed pastime. The realities of making a living often leave little leisure time for picking up a novel or a history book. If you’re working around the clock to make ends meet, the latest Donna Tartt or Toni Morrison doesn’t exactly figure in your daily schedule. The Pew study found that those earning $30,000 or less only read a median of three books a year, while those earning $75,000 or more read eight. Twenty-three percent of Americans did not read a single book this past year. A National Endowment for the Arts study found that only a little over half of 18- to 24-year-olds read a book for pleasure — that is, something not required for school or work.
Many of those who do pick up books don’t do so at Amazon or a bookstore. They go to a local public library to quell costs and expand options. Circulation of public library materials, contrary to the oft-derided “decline of the American book lover,” as the Atlantic called it, has remained steady or even increased as much as 50 percent over the past decade in major cities like New York, according to a 2013 study by the Center for an Urban Future.
It is then inexcusable that public libraries face enormous budget cuts in exactly those places they are needed the most. With the average college student now having access to the Internet on two to three devices, it is easy to forget that millions of Americans have none. They need the library to do homework, to apply for jobs, to converse with other community members or to simply sit and think in silence when there is no quiet or room at home. Ninety-five percent of participants in a 2013 Pew study agreed that public libraries are crucial in giving “everyone a chance to succeed.” However, since fiscal year 2009, the budget for New York’s libraries has been cut by 20 percent. Cities such as Philadelphia and Los Angeles have experienced similar cuts.
Access to libraries is a crucial factor in educational success in an increasingly information-based society. Far from just access to books themselves, public libraries offer a range of programs that foster skills from public speaking to writing to basic computer skills. Such programs also allow room for conversations and “me time,” and it is here that the true importance of the public library lies. It is telling that “having a quiet, safe place” was listed as the third most important attribute of libraries after materials and librarian assistance in the 2013 Pew study. Black, Hispanic, female and low-income Americans disproportionately marked all three of these attributes as “very important.” The study thus confirms that libraries are especially important to minorities and already disadvantaged groups.
The equalizing power of libraries is hardly news. When Benjamin Franklin chronicled his life in his autobiography, he recounted special pride in having established the first subscription library in North America, as libraries “improved the general conversation of the Americans.” Until the government reverses the budget cuts, we can all play our part. Donate to a library in your hometown, or take time to volunteer. The Providence Community Library works with a friends system, in which people can devote their time to fundraising, organizing events and promoting the library in their neighborhood.
Transitioning to digital initiatives can also save the libraries money, though this comes at a cost. In October, the nation’s first all-electronic public library opened in San Antonio. Patrons can check out books on e-readers, and check out e-readers themselves. While access to technology is a big step forward in the low-income neighborhood without a bookstore and where “most families in the area still don’t have Wi-Fi,” according to a USA Today article, the personal interaction that Franklin prioritized is lost. All books are stored in a cloud, allowing patrons to check out books from the confines of their homes. The library as a community space has been replaced by the library as a digital repository. Online initiatives and programs are looking for new ways to supplement this style of reading to facilitate discussion. However, if home is not the “quiet, safe place” that is so important to the reading public, there is no e-reader or noise-canceling headphone in the world that can compensate for that.
Even in a digital age, the physical space of the public library remains indispensable. Rhode Island is also feeling the financial strain. Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 has proposed to level-fund the libraries for fiscal year 2015 — that is, freezing state support at $11.1 million, which leaves Rhode Island libraries in a relatively luxurious position compared to nationwide cuts. But with inflation, there remains little room for innovation or new programs. The Providence Public Library system appointed a new director this year with a strong background in digital learning and online media, but the question remains whether libraries will be able to afford advances in both their digital collections and their physical spaces. In an alarming development, the East Providence Rumford library was sold last year for $230,000 due to budget constraints. It is currently being turned into a private home.
No one can be forced to read, but everyone should at least have the option to. Recent discussion on how to “save” reading has incorrectly typified not reading as a wholly individual decision rather than a financial issue. Reports on Beyonce’s influence on the sales of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s exceptional novel “Americanah” are just one example. Beyonce included a lengthy sample from Adichie’s TED talk in her song “***Flawless,” after which Amazon sales of the book skyrocketed from #861 to #179. Various media took this to mean that interest and celebrity endorsement are decisive factors in who decides to pick up a book. But while celebrities may spark interest in certain works, it all starts with access. The decline of reading is not just a personal choice, but mostly an economic necessity.
Suzanne Enzerink GS welcomes comments at suzanne_enzerink@brown.edu.
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