Libraries build community
As human beings, we love each other's company. When we were hunter-gatherers we gathered around the fire for warmth, but also to tell stories and to be in community with others.
In the Internet age, it is no longer necessary to gather for warmth or for meetings, to swap stories or even to go to work. Still, we have the urge to be with others. And so you see people at Starbucks working on their laptops, and librarians can tell you about the people who come to the library daily not just to read the newspaper but also to be with others.
When I was president of the American Library Association in 1999-2000, I chose, "Libraries Build Community" as my theme because I felt strongly that the library always serves a special place in the community. It's not only a place to find information and knowledgeable librarians, it's also a place to be with other community members. Think of the library as a community's living room.
In the same way, the library building itself mirrors the community it serves. Typically, prosperous communities have prosperous libraries. Learned communities have libraries with many learned materials available. Communities serving lots of children have kids running around everywhere in their libraries.
Recently, I've come across several books which illustrate my points. The first is a very large coffee table book titled, "The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World." It is illustrated by renowned French architectural photographer Guillaume de Lauber. The text is by Jacques Bosser with a foreword by our own Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. The reader is treated to rich photographs of libraries from around the world. These were libraries built for the elite, not only because of their architecture and furnishings, but also because of the invaluable book treasures within. American libraries included are the Boston Athenaeum, The Library of Congress and the New York Public Library.
In 2005, Karen Christensen and David Levinson of the Berkshire Publishing Group floated the idea of a book to celebrate the unique qualities and contributions of America's public libraries. Working with library leaders, the word was put out and over 300 libraries were nominated for inclusion. "Heart of the Community; The Libraries We Love; Treasured Libraries of the United States and Canada" is the result. Organized by zip codes and including beautiful interior and exterior views of the 80 chosen libraries, the book itself is a snapshot of well-loved and well-used community institutions at the dawn of a new century.
"The Library as Place; History, Community and Culture" isn't a picture book. Edited by John E. Buschman and Gloria J. Leckie, it's a collection of essays about libraries of all types with a focus on the effects physical libraries have on the people who use them, their communities and the culture at large. One essay reported on two studies at the University of Oklahoma and found that younger scholars valued the physical library's "conduciveness to scholarship" more than their older peers. There is also an essay about the fictional high school library from the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
I chose, "Libraries Build Community" as my presidential theme because the library is the community's information hub and a place to gather, but also because of what happens inside libraries. Children come to story hour and adults come to programs. Library meeting rooms are places to vote or are used for local legislators' town hall meetings. In the information age, the library is so much more than a collection of books.