What is the purpose of the public library? I was asked this question last week and had to pause as I didn't have an immediate, all-encompassing answer. I'm still not sure if I have such a reply, but here are some thoughts I've since had on the subject.
The obvious response of citing the Seattle Public Library's collection of books, thousands of magazine subscriptions, free Internet access, DVDs, CDs, etc., didn't seem to fully answer the question.
Nor did reciting the hundreds of years of cumulative librarian expertise on subjects ranging from starting a small business to repairing the transmission on a 1954 Studebaker fully capture the essence of the library.
In my mind, what sets public libraries apart is the institution's support and enrichment of the individual and community life, while upholding the values that Americans hold most dear. I am willing to be corrected, but I can't think of another agency, public or private, with such a broad mandate and purpose.
One way the library melds the individual with the community and upholding American values is a widespread commitment to staunchly supporting the Bill of Rights, in particular the First Amendment.
In a study recently sponsored by the James L. Knight Foundation, it appears that a third of our nation's high-school students believe the First Amendment of the Constitution goes too far in granting Americans freedom of expression.
Additionally, according to this study of 100,000 high-school students, half of them think newspaper stories should be subjected to government approval.
Combating this indifference to the rights (and responsibility) of individuals and the community is one purpose of the library. At the public library you will find titles on the shelf that will push the limits of appreciation for the First Amendment, but it is in pushing those edges where conversation, and subsequently, community is formed.
In line with library's commitment to freedom of expression, libraries make items available to the public that may represent a minority, and possibly unpopular, viewpoint. In this role the library becomes a bastion of the individual and provides an escape from mass-marketed thought. Individuals are then free to explore and find for themselves what it is that they hold most dear.
So the purpose of the public library comes down to this for me: democracy. Individuals lacking meaningful access to the world of thought and ideas often make poor community members. And a community that doesn't know its rights, desires and responsibilities forms a poor basis for a democratic society. And the purpose of the public library is to foster a climate where democracy can flourish.
Mark Pond is a librarian at the Green Lake branch, 7364 E. Green Lake Drive N. He can be reached via e-mail at needitor@nwlink.com.
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