Libraries Are Important to Communities

Whenever I hear conservatives talk of the need to reduce government spending--which, by the way, I hear often--I get nervous because it seems like so many things I like are at the top of the list of "services to be reduced." When I was a student, the talk always seemed to turn to music and the arts. Now that I am older, I hear it come to libraries and archives. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that many other things are also facing severe budget cutbacks. But where defunding music and the arts hit me hard as a student, defunding libraries and archives hits me even harder as an adult. Taking away music and arts education in schools is not the same as forbidding music and arts, but many children who cannot afford to study those things on their own, or who do not already have an inclination to do so, will now not get a chance to learn about them. Similarly, taking away a library from a community might not matter as much to the people who, say, have an Internet connection at home and can afford to buy whatever books or movies they want, but many other people will be left behind.

Libraries are important to so many different groups of people, and for so many reasons. I use my library constantly. At any given time I have probably several dozen books, DVDs, CDs, and video games checked out. I read voraciously, I go through movies very quickly, I love listening to new CDs on my iPod at work, and I sometimes want to try out new video games. I frequently recommend the library purchase new materials that interest me, much more than I buy such things myself. In theory, I could buy all these things myself, but I would probably wind up spending hundreds of dollars every month on things I am seldom likely to pick up again. (Also, I really cannot afford to buy books at anything close to the rate at which I read them.) And even though I am pretty liberal about lending or giving away my things, for the most part all the stuff I buy would still just sit around my apartment, used by no one but me. So instead, I contribute my time to help keep my local library going, and I treat it as if I get to share all these great materials with everyone else. I take care of whatever I check out because I know others will want it too. When I request a purchase and the library gets it, I love to see how many people are waiting to pick it up. That "25 out 25" request position never looks better!

Libraries are a great resource for me to get the books and movies I want, but I also see my library performing many other tasks for the community. Elderly patrons who have a hard time understanding e-mail come in and get help writing to their relatives. Parents with new children come in for storytime and play groups. Tax documents are kept on hand. I even see my library function as a general information kiosk: People who are visiting the area sometimes stop in to ask for directions or get a recommendation on a place to eat.

When libraries have less money to work with, all these services get threatened. I can always buy a book I really want if the library cannot afford to purchase it, but not everyone who uses the library can say the same. If the library closes, I can still check my e-mail from home, but some of the grandparents in the neighborhood do not have the same luxury. When I think about the loss to my community if our library ever closed, I think about much more than just my own inconvenience.