Last month President Donald Trump issued an executive order to drastically reduce the funding for the Institute of Museum and Library services, which funds 35,000 museums and 123,000 libraries in the United States. This is the only federal agency that is dedicated to funding library sources, according to EducationWeek.
In response, the American Library Association (ALA) released a statement calling this an “assault” that hurts the “aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans.” According to the ALA, there are over 1.2 billion in-person library visits a year.
As someone who has loved to read since I was a kid, I’m a frequent patron of the library. I go looking for a specific title or I browse the displays of librarian recommendations — either way I always leave with something. I’ve never actually bought a book for myself because it feels like a waste of money when I know I can get it at the library, although sometimes it requires me to be patient.
Since coming to college, I have been trying out e-books but I also borrow them from my hometown library rather than purchasing them. I appreciate the convenience of checking them out remotely, although I’m not sure anything beats holding a physical book in my hands and watching my progress. I should note that I’m fortunate that the library in my hometown can afford to offer e-books, as it can be pricey for libraries which rent them from publishing companies.
At Quinnipiac, the Arnold Bernhard Library was nice enough to buy new books I requested twice: “The House of My Mother” and “Sunrise on the Reaping,” and let me be the first person to check them out. When I tell people that I actually check out books from the school library, they always look at me in shock as if the shelves of books are merely decorative.
However, even if you don’t like to read, libraries offer essential services. In a way, they are so much more than books. They offer high-speed Internet access, literacy development and summer reading programs for children, braille books for visually impaired people, STEM programs, computer classes and more. High-speed Internet is especially important due to the increasingly digital world we live in — think of how many essential tasks you use the computer for such as schoolwork and job applications.
Libraries promote media literacy, lifelong learning and historical preservation in communities.
I love to study at the library and find that I am much more productive there than at home. My friend uses the CD scanner to get film photos onto her phone. I’ve used the printers in a pinch and one time signed up for an Oreo taste-testing competition simply because I was bored. While these may not be essential activities, they all improve my life.
They also serve as a third place for people which are “places outside the home (the first place) and the workplace (the second place) where people go to converse with others and connect with their community.” The term was created by Ray Oldenburg, an American sociologist.
Third places are meant to be free spaces to interact with other members of the community and build relationships. The libraries I go to are always bustling with patrons of all ages.
I agree with the ALA that the Trump Administration deeming these services “unnecessary government spending” is actively ignoring the essential resources that libraries provide and hurting the American public.
I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the resources that libraries provide while they still can. You can also support your local library by visiting, signing up for a library card, attending library events and volunteering.
