One of the primary goals behind the creation of public libraries is their expected ability to help minimize the gap between the rich and the poor, or the educated and the illiterate (Jaeger, Gorham, Sarin, & Bertot, 2013). To achieve this, libraries needed to host content that was curated to help provide educational material that also represented the social norms and values (Weigand, 1999). In other words, libraries were expected to serve as the hotspot where the public could educate themselves using resources that were not readily available elsewhere. However, as the history of libraries in the US suggests, the way public libraries provided resource to their users have taken several transformations reflecting the influence not only of those
Books today are everywhere. We find them in many households, libraries and schools all around the globe. We find many different types of books; from stories to educational textbooks, we regard them today as sources of knowledge and amusement. But it wasn’t the case before 1455. That year, one of the greatest inventions in human history was revealed to the world; Gutenberg’s printing press. This press allowed printing in massive quantity, spreading books all around Europe and the rest of the world at a fast rate. The printing press had many positive consequences on society. At first, it standardized grammar and spelling, and then introduced the mass production of books. It finally inspired future printing technologies around the world.
“Can we keep our libraries?” Smith takes the position on behalf of all of the library activists, stepping out of his point of view, and assimilating his viewpoint to speak for the people’s as well. She specifically uses the word “we” to make the audience feel included and apart of the movement to keep libraries. Rather than only referring to only statistics and evidence, Smith appeals emotionally to the audience, emphasizing that we are humans, not robots, and there is something intrinsic about the library that should not be taken away. Additionally, she utilizes a literary technique of allegory to portray an abstract idea as a form of character, illustrating Mr. “Notmytaxes” as the notion of people that do not want to pay for libraries because they do not use them in the first place. She brings out a “call to action”, asking the authorities to think more seriously about the consequences and bring more weight into their
Who can resist a book with a chapter titled, "Labia Lumps, Chunky Discharge, and Other Things They Never Taught Me in Library School"? Released this past summer, Revolting Librarians Redux: Radical Librarians Speak Out takes no prisoners as its contributors ponder everything from the backtracking of '60s values by ALA's baby boomers to librarian imagery in erotica. This edited volume is a sequel to a 1972 self-published book titled Revolting Librarians. The original is worth checking out for its historical value alone. The editors of the 2003 volume, Katia Roberto and Jessamyn West gathered essays from ten of the original writers from the 1972 book for this version and it is interesting to see what thirty years has done to these radical librarians.
This library system is utilizing all the technologies and materials available to them to serve the community in the best way. Despite certain social indicators and demographic statistics indicating that the library should not be overly utilized, it is thriving and is heavily in use. There are areas that the library can look to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching out to the low income population and the over 55 years age group. This library seems to be meeting numerous needs for a wide range of patrons, and doing it well.
I had the opportunity to interview Jennifer Ashby. She has been the director of the Asotin County Library since February of 2001. She oversees just about everything that goes on in the library. She is in charge of budgets, facilities, personnel, collections, technology, programs, services, and public relations. She gave me a lot of great information on the history and current events of the library.
Darnton, Robert. "The Library in the New Age." NYBooks.com. The New York Review of Books, June 12, 2008. Web. 6 March 2012.
The culture of today demands efficiency and in turn, technology. Libraries are therefore closing down in the race for money and efficiency. Smith argues for libraries to be saved, and uses a variety of techniques to do so. First, she uses pathos to appeal to the reader’s sentimentality. Then, she uses personal experiences to show the impact of shutting down libraries in everyday lives.
The article “The North West London Blues” argues that public libraries still remain an important part of the society and should be preserved. There is no doubt that she is, in fact, a part of the minority who has the same opinion due to the reason that most people tend to prefer electronics over physical copy of books, especially the younger ones. Therefore, it is important for the author to use persuasive methods to gain more support. The author, Zadie Smith, uses evidence, reasonings, and stylistic elements in order to gain support.
Libraries are accessible to almost everyone in the country. For a couple of dollars we are given access to thousands of books and works of literature. They hold all different types, but the treasure trove is in the well loved books, the books that we can open up and see the borrowing card filled with names from the 1950’s. These books are precious, for their meanings and messages have yet to change. Students still read these books in school as well and it is incredibly important that they continue to for these are the books that every generation can relate to, that every generation can discuss. A child born in 2010 can sit down with their grandparents who were born in 1940 and discuss
Public Librarians’ Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access. Judaica Librarianship [serial online]. July 2014; 18:54-87. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 4, 2015.
Though many of the people around us enjoy the luxury of having access to libraries and books everyday, that is not the case for the vast majority of people around the world.
In Austin, Texas, every decade fifteen people influence what is taught to the next generation of American children. The highly politicized Texas Board of Education gets to rewrite the teaching standards and textbook standards for its approximate 5 million schoolchildren. However, any changes made in Texas, trickle down into the rest of the nation. Texas is home to one of the nation's largest textbook markets (the other being the state of California), because as a state, it decides what textbooks schools can buy, rather than leaving it up to local districts (“The Revolutionaries”). Hence, publishers face the economic conundrum of whether they curtail the intellect...
The Human Library is a worldwide movement dedicated to social change. Its purpose is to build a positive foundation for topics and conversations by figuratively referring to speakers as books, allowing them to speak on various problems in the world. However, some of the topics have the ability to generate conflict. These topics include, homelessness, deaf blindness, injustice within the criminal justice system, soldiers and PTSD, victims of molestation, the unemployed and many more. The Human Library installs the importance of knowing self, seeking the understanding of others, challenging stereotypes and values of listening.
Libraries are essential to a community especially in difficult times. Due to rising costs and job losses, patrons may have had to cut their own expenses such as buying books or cancelling their internet service. In order to continue to have access to these materials, patrons turn to their libraries. However, libraries are often the first to get cut in budget reforms. A library can survive a budget crisis by making cuts, fundraising, developing trust, and media exposure.
... to the Library and that have generally been underused resources. B. Greater use of the Library's Capitol Hill facilities by scholars for the kind of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, multimedia, multilingual, and synthetic writing that is important to Congressional deliberation and national policy-making, but inadequately encouraged both by special interest groups and by advocacy-oriented think tanks; and C. Greater use by the general public through programs that stimulate interest, increase knowledge, and encourage more citizens to use the collections on-site and electronically.”The Library employees will add their position as information guides by “helping more people find appropriate materials in a swelling sea of unsorted information” and directing them to services and resources exclusive to the Library of Congress. This requires not only more growth of employees that the Library has formerly had, but also making it easier in new ways more wide-ranging and “systematic use by researchers of the distinctive materials that only the Library of Congress has.” Courses for the common public, such as displays or publications, must display the importance and value of the collections.