reading?
As I was planning this lecture about the importance of reading to society, to libraries, to individuals, I was taken aback by a few recent posts and had to reconsider things. Let's review the posts that gave pause
(Our library) is not about books anymore. It is about getting people into the building, presenting lots of programs to kids, getting kids into the building for the new homework centers, and reconfiguring space to meet these programmatic demands.
Another root problem is that we wish to engage readers, and some people are not interested in reading. They come to the library to use a computer, and that is the only reason. Many librarians are frustrated by this.
Maybe one reason we feel frustrated: we know that some of these low-income customers would improve their lives if they would just READ!
I get very irritated when library workers, or anyone else serving the public, take an opportunity to lord it over people with what they know. Customers are not interested in our vast knowledge; they want their needs met. Our goal is to get that need met as quickly as possible, with a non-judgmental attitude.
These four comments are not necessarily all related to the same topic, but they are all circling around the topic I'd like us to consider this week. Let's take it as a given that libraries have historically been book repositories. That may be changing as we move into a more digital world, but books are still the soul of the library. Let's take it as another pair of givens that libraries have existed as a source of self-education through the medium of reading and/or as a source of entertainment through the medium of reading.
But is reading our raison d'être?
You will note in the readings for this week items that suggest that the upcoming generation reads in a different manner than did earlier generations. Is this true? (Those of you with kids might have a more informed opinion.)
You will also note that people are lamenting this fact and lamenting what is perceived as a growing sort of, if not actual illiteracy, at least a sort of un-literacy caused by not taking the time to read and digest the printed word in all its depth and breadth.
What is the role of the public library in this debate? Does the public library even have a role to play, or is it (as suggested above) time for the public library to downgrade books and upgrade other digital offerings?
Finally, as we consider these questions, we might want to consider the fourth quote above. As long as there are books and there are patrons, patrons are going to ask library staff for reading recommendations. How do we best provide useful advice without seeming patronizing about their reading desires? How can we provide advice when the patron's reading desires are so far distant from our own interests? What are the tools that can be used?
I suspect many of you all will have much better recommendations to offer, based on what you have seen working well in your own environments. Let's wring out this topic.
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