Two weekends ago, I went zipping around Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire to deliver programs on family history, cemetery sleuthing, and community cookbooks. It was sleet/snowing when I set out for the St. Albans Public Library on Saturday morning. My Outback and I plowed our way down a few unattended back roads and gallivanted onto the highway carrying my computer, a handful of vintage cookbooks, and a batch of Mary Pearl’s maple muffins (with optional maple icing). An hour and a half later, I walked through the library doors with a newly procured cup of coffee. Any time I walk through a library door - it doesn’t matter which library door - I have a sudden feeling of arriving home. I must not be the only one who feels this way because it was bustling despite the weather.
I found my way upstairs and through the stacks to the meeting room where I unloaded my treasures. Our group was cozy, but it was well worth the trip. I brought maple muffins, the librarian brought maple bars, and another patron had toted along maple meringues and a family history/recipe book (Vol. 1 of 5). When my Recipe for Success program ended, we stayed late to share family stories, town history, heirloom recipes, and more. Patrons went home with more knowledge about using community cookbooks as a stepping stone to genealogical research, and I went home knowing more about the St. Albans’ French Canadian district. It’s always a trade of information and ideas at the library.
Abuzz with a maple morning sugar rush, I then headed further north to the Haston Free Library in Franklin. This little library was nestled in the midst of a sleepy, snow-blanketed, Vermont village. We gathered in the town hall, where I talked with another community about strategies for controlling the genealogical research process. Afterwards, a patron shared an incredible collection of antique photographs in a crackling bound volume. They were potentially photos of her family, but as we rifled through, we had more questions than answers. Community and inquiry is yet another thing to be found at the library.
After the patrons had moved along, I headed to lunch with some librarian friends. We tucked into a booth for an early dinner/late lunch and chatted - about life and libraries - and the implications of the reduction of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We’re librarians. It comes up. I went home feeling enriched about our time together, but gnawing on the growing angst about the challenges of our time.
This past weekend, at my usual post as a librarian in Derry, I hosted our yearly Author Fest: a full day lecture series aimed at aspiring writers. It’s the only one around that offers MFA quality classes that are free and open to the public. Free access to information for the general public. Yet another core part of libraries!
And now, we’ve rolled from the author fest straight into National Library Week.
I was thinking of my fellow librarians and how much I appreciate them, and I thought it would be fun (and regional) to make some of Mary Pearl’s Maple Muffins. Maybe it was destined to fail, because here I am in the midst of National Library Week, with a bad head cold, and a completely botched batch of maple muffins.
I’m still not sure what went wrong.
I was bummed that I couldn’t hand deliver some comfort to my fellow librarians, and yet I still want to honor National Library Week, so I’d like to talk about why this National Library Week feels a little bit different than the ones in recent memory.
Let’s break it down.
Two to three weeks ago, we got the news that IMLS was being reduced by DOGE. For anyone unfamiliar with IMLS, it’s the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It’s an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that spearheads federal grants to museums, libraries, and archives. I’ve seen some people on social media panicking that public libraries are going to be shut down because of this move. Some even seem deeply concerned that ALL libraries will be shut down. That would be a nightmare situation. Let’s pump the brakes for a minute. Most public libraries are funded locally. Some libraries are private entities and funded by memberships or trusts, so I’m not sure which libraries - if any - are solely federally funded. Public libraries (and librarians) will persist.
Still, it begs the question: what does IMLS fund? The federal grants that IMLS distributes are often project and service based. To my understanding, the New Hampshire State Library, for example, receives funds through the Library Services and Technologies Act (first signed in 1996 under Bill Clinton) with the aim to support state libraries with services focused on technology and access. In New Hampshire these funds go to support the shared ebook service, Libby, and the inter library loan van service - a service which makes sharing between all libraries in the state possible.
The last time I checked, it wasn’t clear if the previously allotted funds are going to come through. The IMLS staff have been sent on administrative leave. If those funds don’t continue to come through, that means that either the state library will have to figure out another way to find the funds, find another way to make the services run, or shut those services down altogether. The lack of ILL services would be bad for libraries and our patrons and it would greatly impact the smaller communities who rely on ILL for fresh materials. Right now, though, nothing is set in stone and there isn’t more news to share.
Honestly, while that is financially worrying, it’s also about values. The reduction of IMLS demonstrates the administration’s values -- or lack thereof. Basically, the current administration is saying they don’t value the library services that have been valued by previous administrations. As librarians, we know that libraries are one of the greatest assets to any community. We know that providing access and services to our patrons is vital, and we know that libraries are a great equalizer. An affront to IMLS feels like an affront to every library - and frankly it is demoralizing.
And yet, there are other reasons this National Library Week feels different.
Fending off book banning and misguided perceptions is taking more time. Lately, we’ve seen a flurry of book banning bills in legislature - as well as an uptick in book challenges across the US. Most librarians I know are well versed in dealing with book challenges, but they’re coming up more frequently. More challenges mean more paperwork and meetings, but we also have to deal with interactions and misguided perceptions. These misguided perceptions seem to be that:
a. librarians are running around peddling smut. This, in my experience, is largely the the perception of people who do not bother to visit the library. “What are those evil librarians doing in there? If only there were a way to find out!” Friend, go inside. It’s exactly what it looks like. We’re manning the public desk and helping people find answers to their questions, print from their phones, and locate that book they need for their class.
b. Librarians are shoving alternative lifestyles down our throats - all their books are so liberal! These people seem to think a book sitting on a shelf is an advertisement (or an assault) aimed solely at them. They believe that the existence of the book on the library shelf is equivalent to a forced interaction. They don’t seem to understand that the library is a public space (meant for all) to follow their pursuits and inquiries as autonomous individuals. Friend, don’t forget you have the option to choose - or not choose - any book in the collection. Do me a favor. Go re-watch the the Dead Poets Society and consider free thought.
Exercise the right not to walk (read) if it suits you. Exercise your right to think freely.
Finally, living in public spaces while the public is tense and dismayed is exhausting. Librarians help people all day, every day. We help everyone. We help people print by phone, find favorite childhood books, create a new email address, find the soup kitchen, dig up educational articles, 3d print, learn to read, and plumb the archives for historical materials. We’re not perfect. Sometimes we fail and sometimes we’re awkward, but boy are we in it. We constantly think of access, user experience, and how to be approachable. We think of how to streamline processes, find materials, and narrow in on questions to find the best results. And we do this while sitting in the center of an ever more fraught public. As I mentioned before, I often feel like I am home whenever I enter a library, but it goes without saying that the uptick of stressed people will result in the uptick of outsized experiences. Our threshold for weird interactions is already high. It will need to go higher as we continue to play the amenable middle child to the divided masses.
So, this National Library Week comes with more worries than some in recent memory. I worry about my librarian friends -mostly because right now is a weird time on the public desk - but I don’t worry about them to the point of clutching pearls. Not yet. And that’s primarily because I know librarians - particularly public librarians. Public librarians are a highly discerning yet salt of the earth group. Weirdly unflappable. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see a public librarian offering to help a patron as the library itself plummeted into a sinkhole to the center of the earth. As public workers we’re used to staying in the scrum. We’re no rubes to challenging situations and we know the value of a systematic approach. Mostly, we’re steady and fair - or at least aim to be.
Because this National Library Week feels different in so many ways, we must double our efforts in support of libraries. It’s a good time to stay focused. Stay steady. Think like a librarian. Ask questions. How can you be informed and execute an appropriate response? Here are a few ideas.
Everylibrary.org has several great actionable items you can execute now.
Write to your governor or selectman regarding the value you see in your public library
Use your public library and share why you love it!
Don’t just check out materials, attend public programs. Those can be incredible shared community moments and another resource opportunity (as well as another way for librarians to gather statistics and show the value of the library)
Get to know your local librarians.
Still got town meeting? Well, next time that rolls around, don’t forget to go and share your support of the library.
Run as a trustee to stand by your local library and help it fulfill its mission.
Bring maple muffins (or if you’re not in New England, bring some other delicious regional treat)! Write and tell me what it is. I’d love to know.
I’d love to hear what you’re doing to celebrate libraries, this week! Do you have a favorite library? Or librarian? What’s on your mind?
Happy National Library Week!
Think Freely.
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