LIBR 204 – Organizations and Management
Unit 14_Thomson_New Ideas Linking Strong Libraries to Strong Communities (Part 2)
One of the most surprising things I learned from Unit 14 and the entire course is the true value and importance of libraries as an inalienable part of the community as well as the world. Before I started working at the library and beginning library school, I thought of the library in the form of the stereotypical image of a quiet, authoritarian, and fixed establishment. I did not see the bigger picture of libraries serving the function as an important, necessary, and integral part of serving the needs of each community. I suppose I took libraries fore granted, and I did not realize how much they help to benefit, empower, and advance individuals to better themselves as well as society.
Thinking about the true ideals of democracy further, I arrived at the awareness of what the democratic foundation this country is built upon and the function of librarianship. What good is democracy if every individual is not starting from the same place, or have access to the same opportunities? Let us level the playing field without imposed limitations, and then see who gets ahead and climbs the ladder of success. I believe that is the essence of freedom and equality our Founding Fathers had in mind.
Wouldn’t a child who is born in squalor of the inner-city without opportunities to further themselves have the same limitations as a child’s vocational destiny proclaimed by Communist Cabinet Members? If individuals who make up this country are pre-destined to live out the rest of their lives based on the placement and wealth of their birth, aren’t they the same as individuals born under the British “Class System” without any hope of rising above their birthright? (I heard Neil Gaiman’s interview to kick off ALA’s 2010 Library Week, and he said books are still censored in England.) I understand now that the function of libraries as being one of the most crucial stepping stones in providing equality as stated in the democratic foundation of this country. In conclusion, the purpose of libraries is to provide equal access to information without bias or censorship to individuals from all walks of life, so that everyone has equal access and opportunities to become self-sufficient.
I was also surprised by the social importance that libraries play by bridging individuals with their communities. With rapidly-advancing technology, intimate human contact is getting farther apart and increasingly infrequent. A sense of community was prevalent in the past with extended families living together, as well as neighborhood interactions to a greater extent. Even with the advent of social networking sites, it will never be the same or take the place of direct person to person contact. In the future libraries will play a significant role in gathering and sorting information needs whether on the Internet or paper-based, and more importantly, guiding people to the most accurate and updated information in whatever form. In addition, libraries will continue to provide a place for communities to get together in order to socialize, as well as make contact with other community members and learn about nearby community businesses. As Hillary Clinton said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In addition, I think it takes a village to accomplish a mission or to affect change, and the library should continue to be the cornerstone to support and protect individual civil rights as well as provide the needs of the community. As far as I know, there are no other community organizations providing such multi-faceted human services, or dispensing information where individual’s can obtain their specific needs.