I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.
Jorge Luis Borges
Almost a decade ago, Forbes featured a question from Quora entitled “Will Public Libraries Become Extinct?” Two writers contributed, and each insisted that libraries would be obsolete in five to fifteen years. One of the contributors, Marc Bodnick, hypothesized that people wouldn’t completely stop going to the library, but the rise of e-books and e-readers would drastically reduce library patronage to the point that libraries would not longer be economically viable. Another contributor, Erica Friedman, argued that libraries would not be obsolete in reality, but that they’d be defunded because people would perceive them as being obsolete. She noted that libraries are much more than simple book lenders, and they’re often at the forefront of technology, but the general public isn’t aware of the myriad of services they provide. Said Friedman:
“If you don’t use your library, you’ll never know those things. And you’ll tell yourself that libraries are exactly the way they were when you were six, then feel slightly bad when you vote them off the town budget.
Libraries will die, because they were killed by people who never used them.”1
Eight years after their predictions, libraries are still going strong. I, for one, don’t see that changing any time soon.
I do, however, think that Erica Friedman had a point. As a whole, we see libraries much the same as we did as children. We envision rows of books, maybe some tables, and an uptight librarian who shushes hyperactive children. But book lending is just part of what libraries have to offer us, and the stern librarian has likely been replaced with someone much friendlier.
As a frequent library patron, I thought I knew what my local branch had to offer. But, in preparation for this post and for the sake of thoroughness, I checked out their website. I was blown away. Here are just a few of the services they provide:
- Access to a genealogy research database
- Test prep (Driver’s test, ACT, SAT GRE, GMAT)
- Job search and career services
- Homeschooling resources for children and parents
- Story time for small children (This is been put on hold due to COVID-19.)
- A calendar for children listen local events and activities
- Resources for starting a small business, from business plan handbooks to demographic data
- Library outreach to local senior residential centers, bringing book carts to the elderly since they can’t make it to library themselves
- Free tutoring in math, reading, writing, test prep, and English language skills
- A seed library! (I love this one. Every spring, they have packets of seeds for patrons to take and plant in their home gardens.)
If I listed everything my local library has going on, you’d be here all day. The point is that libraries are more than just repositories for books. They’re the information hubs of the community as well as gathering places. Since e-readers allow you to access books without leaving your home, they’re convenient but isolating. As Benjamin P. Hardy, a contributor at Huffpost, said, “Technology gives people a platform but not a place.“2 Libraries give people both.
Additionally, libraries add community value because they provide a place for people to go without the expectation that money will be spent. The number of such places is dwindling drastically. Even the majority of museums and national parks charge at least an admission fee, but you need exactly zero dollars to be a library patron. You can sit in your local library all day long reading books, working on your laptop, or sitting with your child during story time, and you won’t have to spend one red cent. They’re also entirely neutral. There’s nothing political, religious, racial, or dogmatic about a library, and as such everyone can feel welcome.
Though libraries may seem to be a relic of the past, it’s actually the young who are keeping them alive. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2016, 53% of Millenials had visited a library or bookmobile in person over the last year, compared to just 45% of Gen X and 43% of Baby Boomers. Young people are also more likely to use library websites and apps.3 Personally, I use my library’s app at least weekly. It’s a convenient way to manage my account, renew books, and place holds on materials.
I’m thrilled that the dire predictions about libraries’ inevitable doom have, so far, been proven false, and I’m proud to be part of a generation leading the charge to resurrect the library. If you haven’t stopped by your local branch lately, why don’t you? Even with COVID-19 restrictions, libraries across the country continue to safely provide their services. Visit your library’s website or drop in one day, and I promise you’ll be delighted by what you can find there. If you’re already an avid library-goer, I’d encourage you to look for ways to support and advocate for libraries in your community. Consider donating your unwanted books to the library instead of a thrift shop. Pay attention to local politics and candidates’ positions on libraries. There are a myriad of ways to help, even if all you can do is vote. If libraries can be “killed by people who never [use] them,”4 then the responsibility to keep them alive falls upon those of us who do.
Happy reading!
End Notes:
1. Marc Bodnick and Erica Friedman, “Will Public Libraries Become Extinct?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, October 2, 2012. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2012/10/02/will-public libraries-become-extinct/.
2. Benjamin P. Hardy, “The Extinction of Libraries: Why the Predictions Aren’t Coming True.” HuffPost. HuffPost, December 22, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-extinction-of-libraries-why-the-predictions-arent_b_5a3d3acde4b06cd2bd03da4a.
3. A. W. Geiger, “Public Library Use in U.S. Highest among Millennials.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, July 27, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/21/millennials-are-the-most-likely-generation-of-americans-to-use-public-libraries/.
4. Bodnick and Friedman, “Will Public Libraries Become Extinct?”