Many Libraries … One Voice!
Advocates and Champions for West Virginia’s Libraries
December 3, 2003
©2003 Susan N. Hill
We
are experiencing exciting times in library service. As librarians and library
staff we are empowered everyday to provide the information that will change
lives. Imagine the power of our
collective voice over the century.
Imagine the role as advocate we all hold. We actively plead for, argue
about and support our libraries. We serve as an intercessor for our
patrons. We advocate on behalf of our
patrons. We are the champions! We
justify our existence. At times perhaps
we need to convince ourselves… constantly remind ourselves of the importance of
our libraries to our people.
Throughout
the past 100 years libraries, especially rural libraries, have maintained a
special place in our culture. From the
roots of the ideal of a free lending library system by our founding fathers, to
the birth of the Carnegie phenomenal to the gift of Gates, libraries have
experience an explosion of service philosophies, usually all as the result of
the advocacy power of one voice.
As
we look back over the decades, I wonder if we can put ourselves in the place of
our colleagues who have come before. In the first two decades of the 20th
century, Andrew Carnegie was providing grant money at an unprecedented rate and
creating hundreds of libraries in communities throughout the United States.
Communities reveled in the beauty of incredible structures. Local county governments, committed to
support this philanthropic trend, funded collections and furnishings for these
facilities.
In
1920 you could walk into a Carnegie library and browse the card catalog. You would select your card and bring it to
the librarian. She would probably
retrieve the item from the closed stacks.
Privacy was not a strong tenant for patrons. Did the librarian of 1920
ever wonder how her colleagues from the 21st century would think of
her? Did she ever wonder about the
power of her one voice as she tried to uphold the ethics of her profession?
The
1930s and the Great Depression impacted libraries as well as users. The Works Project Act put men to work. Bookmobile and deposit stations popped up at
incredible rates to provide reading material for the 1000s of employees working
on dams, bridges and other WPA projects.
The local public library felt the crunch of a tight budget, but
continued to provide the most authoritative of reading materials. Did the rural
library bookmobile librarian realize the impact her library would play when her
future colleagues remembered the power of her one voice when she insisted that
these isolated work camps be provided library service? Did she realize her
advocacy voice?
After
Pearl Harbor, many boards of trustees skipped meetings for several months. Directors and staff took a percentage cut in
wages. The rural library would have
been staff by a minimum crew. Janitors
would complete a variety of tasks from maintenance to shoveling coal. By the
40s, the libraries built forty years ago needed repair. Boilers and heating systems needed
maintenance, but funds were short, and with war rationing iron and steel may
not have been available. Major book drives sponsored by the American Library
Association sent popular titles to the fighting boys overseas. Did the
librarian during the war realize the impact her actions her voice of advocacy
would have? Did she realize the impact
her future colleagues would recognize when they look back, and admired her
vision and fortitude?
With
the baby boom of the 50s came a dramatic increase in services to youth and
families. Summer Reading Programs
exploded with every child in the rural town or village participating. Social and cultural programs sponsored by
local Women’s Clubs and other society agencies were usually held at the
library. Patrons could be assured the
latest popular fiction and non-fiction could be found on the library
shelves. Many of today’s rural library
staff, although nearing retirement, can remember the impact the local public
library had on them, thanks to the librarian advocate.
‘Burbs,
branches, bedroom communities, bookmobiles defined the 1960s and 70s. As family
units changed and our United States society settled into a suburban utopia,
libraries began changing with the times.
Multi media, intellectual freedom, privacy issues and more liberal
subject matter imploded into the way librarians conducted business. Record albums made way to eight track
tapes. Eight track tapes ceded to
cassettes. The librarian of the 70s and 80s never imagined the technology that
was soon to come. What they did realize
was that their emerging collection development decisions would impact the
future of librarianship. They knew that
once the public was offered materials in a variety of formats that variety
would stay. The voice was a collective advocacy for integrating the new and
exciting formats into public libraries.
The
80s and the 90s exploded with the Information Age and the dawn of
microcomputers. Automated circulation
systems, once considered risky and visionary were now the “thing to do”.
Another box was opened, that could never be closed. There are libraries in the year 2003 that are not automated. They missed the opportunity for one reason
or another almost twenty years ago. Now the choices are numerous and the
decision impacts all users. The librarian is not only faced with being an
advocate for their library, but for their patrons… ensuring the patron is
provided the most modern and technologically advanced library service.
The
1990s were perhaps the most important decade as we look back on libraries and
advocacy. It was at that time that computers and the Internet became an
integral part of library service and information access. From “gophering” to the World Wide Web,
technology has changed the face and ideal of library service. Towards the new
millennium the second of two unprecedented events took place – (the first being
the Andrew Carnegie gifts) – that of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
library grants. The librarian working in a rural public library can find a
sense of pride in the fact that her colleague in 50 years will look back and
admire the courage and vision it took to integrate new technologies. Would that
librarian of the early 1990s realize the impact purchasing a computer would
have on library use? Did she realize
her decisions would identify her as an advocate for the library?
Where
is the rural library of today in the line of advocacy? The rural library today
provides access to the world through the Internet. Government services are
accessible now at the public library.
Patrons can file taxes, at their libraries. The un- and under employed
can search and apply for employment online.
Our vocabulary would sound like a foreign language now to our colleagues
who preceded us. Our place in the history of libraries is phenomenal.
We
are living in exciting and dangerous times.
We have the opportunity to change lives forever. The role of the library has changed
dramatically over the decades. We have
gone from being the keeper of books in a quiet-studious building to being a
professional information-provider in a hustling and bustling “wired” facility.
The impact libraries have on their communities directly impacts the training
needs of staff. The bar is set
high. Job descriptions now include:
computer proficiency, knowledge in web page design and information systems,
comfortable with changing platforms and technology upgrades. Oh, and by the way, if you can handle
“Reader’s Advisory”, catalog material, deliver an entertaining story time,
drive a bookmobile, and teach a computer class.
West Virginia is home to one of the 2003 recipients
of the National Awards for Museum and Library Service. This is the nation's
highest honor for the extraordinary public service. Each recipient received a
$10,000 award. The four branches of the
Pocahontas County Free Libraries are included among the winners and serve as
models for providing library service to rural Americans. As centers of activity
in their communities, the libraries host groups such as scouts, business
associations, town council, blood drives, a preschool playgroup, and after
school programs.
The libraries are cornerstones of civic engagement. They receive thousands of
hours of volunteer service and substantial and steady local contributions. Last
year local funding provided 73 percent of operating expenses versus 27 percent
state and federal dollars, a high ratio for small, rural library systems. Director Allen Johnson stated: “Across West
Virginia and throughout rural America, many small libraries are reaching out to
their communities with excellent programs and services. We are honored to be
representative of their efforts.” And he is right. Libraries throughout West Virginia and America are champions for
their citizens. They provide compelling
services and awesome programs. Many never receive the recognition they deserve.
So
here we are addressing our role as advocate.
How you speak for your library and patrons is up to you. This conference will provide you with the
opportunity to hone your skills, learn new skills, step outside the “box”, and
identify new trends. Your sessions will
include everything from writing book reviews to strategic planning. You will
learn valuable tips for selecting graphic novels and be enchanted with holiday
storytelling techniques. From serving young adults to collection management and
a plethora of Reader’s Advisory and genre services, you will come away with new
ideas and new energy to make your library the best it can be.
And,
throughout this conference, you might be asked to imagine the future. You might be challenged to “vision”. You’ll
be expected to take what you learn here this week and integrate it into your
library service. You will be expected
to step out of this beautiful resort and into your everyday life. It will no longer be “business as usual” at
your library. You will be expected to
not only set the bar higher, but also “see the bar” and begin to climb or leap
over the bar. And, once you get over
the bar, set it higher.
What
would have happened if the bar set for the librarians of the 1980s were to only
keep microcomputers on hand to type reports?
That was the height of the bar then. That was their advocacy. Today you meet yours.
You
will not be able to attend every session.
Share what you have learned with your colleagues. E-mail me with one favorite tip or idea or
inspiration you have gained from this conference. I will then put it in the rural newsletter. My e-mail address is
shill@pauldingcountylibrary.org. When you sit down and break bread with your
colleagues, remember we are all advocates.
Make the first move and make eye contact with someone you don’t know. As you attend your sessions be open to what
is meant for you to learn. Create an action plan to take home. In your notes, prepare a sheet that is blank
and left open for a list. Write on the
top: My Action Plan. When you return
home review the list first. Then review
your notes. Do not let this event come
and go as only a faint memory of good food and beautiful scenery. Make sure it
not only impacts you but your library.
Being
an advocate for West Virginia’s libraries is an awesome responsibility. Even
though there are many libraries in the state, there should always be one voice…
that of the advocate that is passionate about their library. The overall
experience a citizen has when they enter a local courthouse or historical
building has traditionally been one of awe.
They should also have this feeling as they enter their library. This is a special place… a place where lives
can be changed… a place where
information can be shared. A place
where all people can be empowered to learn and be inspired. When someone asks
you what you do for a living, hold your head up proud and say you’re a
librarian. You are a champion for all citizens of West Virginia. You have their intellectual rights in your
right hand and your passion to defend them in your left. Collectively, you are
West Virginia’s libraries. ©2003 Susan N. Hill