Should more public library branches be closed?

 

While most Americans make the traditional New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get organized, Mark Zuckerberg recently committed himself to the cerebral goal of reading more books in 2015. I figured if it’s good enough for Zuck, it’s good enough for me! But to give myself a fighting chance at successfully fulfilling the promise, I took immediate action. I started off the new year at the local library.

Getting a library card was a painless process. A friendly librarian set me up in the NYPL computer system and handed me a plastic card and key fob. A vast expanse of books, publications, and databases were now available to me. It felt underwhelming. This would probably be exciting in 1995, but the Internet has long been providing an endless glut of information at the stroke of a few keys . Still I decided to take a stroll around the local branch and pick out a few books to get my New Year’s ball rolling.

The thought of the New York Public Library conjures up an image of the iconic 42nd Street building with grandiose columns holding up the building’s facade and statues of regal lions greeting visitors. This main branch of the NYPL houses rare books and manuscripts, contains a dedicated division for maps, and even has a gift shop. It is listed as the third stop on TripAdvisor’s 3 Days in New York City guide. My local branch is nothing like that.

My public library branch has one large room on the first floor. It has shelves of books organized according to categorical headings similar to a book store. It is not listed according to the Dewey Decimal system of my childhood. The second floor is reserved for children’s materials. The overall selection is fairly limited and very little caught my eye. There are relatively large sections for foreign language books, large print books, and reference books (a full set of encyclopedias). There are also shelves for other multimedia channels including audio CDs and movie DVDs, again with international selections available.

Most of the people in the room weren’t searching for books like I was. One woman was talking, not sotto voce, to her mother on her cellphone. A few disheveled men were watching movies and surfing the web on computers in the back. An Asian man with circular glasses read a foreign newspaper at a desk by the front. It reminded me a bit of a high school free period. Without the lockers.

I didn’t take out any books that day, but when I returned home I logged on to the NYPL.org website. I was overjoyed at the resources available. In addition to the catalog of books in circulation, the system provides access to journals, scanned photographs, digital projects, upcoming events, and newly available ebooks and audiobooks. The public library system is robust, useful, and tech-forward. But even so, I began to wonder how relevant are local library branches in the 21st Century.

The disruptive impact of digital access to books and information is not unique to public libraries. Brick and mortar based book chains (and retailers in most sectors) like Borders cannot compete with online retailers. Consumers are fast moving to websites and Wi-Fi enabled devices to purchase books. While the value for a college degree has never seemed so high, nontraditional affordable options such as online schools and Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are raising questions about education delivery. Other government services such as the Post Office are realizing and acting on the diminishing demand for physical locations. Should public libraries follow suit?

In recent years, public libraries have been feeling budgetary pressure, especially as federally funding dries up and states look to mitigate the ongoing impact of the financial crisis of 2008. But the budget cuts don’t necessarily translate into branch closures. Instead they can take the form of reduced hours, lower salaries, and stunted growth of collections and technology services. According to a survey from November 2011, states were “asked about the number of libraries that had been closed as a result of funding cuts. Fewer states this year (12, compared with 17 the previous year) reported that they were aware of public library closures in their states in the past 12 months. Most states reported that fewer than five public library outlets were closed.”

Before rattling the sabre for the closure of libraries, I must consider the importance of the tremendous value public libraries provide to the community. In The Public Library Manifesto, David Morris describes some of these points including:

• Access to information. 2.5 billion items are checked out annually in America and despite the popularity of bookstores, “for every two books sold in America, one book is borrowed from the public library.”
• Community space. As I noticed during my own visit, people go to the library as a place to comfortably and safely spend time. “About 30 percent of the people who visit libraries don’t borrow books,” making the library an inexpensive version of the Starbucks or Barnes and Noble hangout spot. Classes and events are also hosted at library locations.
• Freedom of information. Unlike private bookstores and newly privatized library systems, public libraries are not incentivized by profits and short term goals but can serve patrons in their best interests.
• Support for the disadvantaged. This assistance includes catering to immigrants, people with physical disabilities, and the elderly who may not be served by commercial entities and are often located in depressed communities. An example is “the Queens Public Library, located in one of the most ethnically diverse and immigrant-rich communities in the world—its web site and phone answering system are in six languages.”
• Hubs of Technology. Most public libraries provide internet access via public computer terminals. This has had significance in recent financially challenging years as “60 percent of the individuals who use public computers a Chicago’s libraries are searching for and applying for jobs.” The impact of library closures would have more severe effects on minorities who are less likely to have personal Internet access in their homes.
• Librarian Support. Living in the Age of Information is wonderful in that we have access to so much information. At the same time it can be overwhelming and confusing. Librarians are the guides through these rushing rivers of data. Evenso, the physical presence of librarians seems to be less a requirement as “today most librarians will answer questions not only in person and by phone but also via email.”

Public libraries are clearly valuable to society. Studies have even been conducted to assign dollar amounts to the added value. But times are changing and so too are the benefits branches provide. Let’s examine some of the driving forces that are making current public library branches seem more obsolete:

•  The nature of how books are read. Although a many people harbor a fondness for holidng a physical publication and smelling the yellowing pages, tablets and e-book readers are taking over. A person  can directly download a book to a device in seconds without even having to leave the house.
• With almost ubiquitous home access to cheap computing through computers, video games, and mobile phones, the need for libraries as centers of technology and sources of international information is diminishing.
• The role of the librarian has changed with less emphasis on reference and recommendations. This is a direct outcome of the tools available online such as advanced search and machine-learning based recommendation engines. The staff provide cross-disciplinary knowledge, but their focus has become more on customer service rather than expert sources of information.

While the debate on whether more local public library branches should close continues, it is clear that the nature of the library system is undergoing a transformation. The role of library branch is changing from a distributor of books to primarily a provider of technology offerings and a community center for the local area. As government funding for libraries dries, the role of institutions will need to be reconsidered. Outside fundraisers, such as Save the Libraries, currently only make up a small part of budgets for certain in-danger systems. For now school libraries are taking the brunt of budgetary cuts, but the spotlight of the future can refocus quickly.