library

(Originally posted in the Stratford Star newspaper on May 5, 2011, in “Walsh’s Wonderings”)

I was nine when I first “discovered” the public library. I’d been in it many times for book reports or the occasional Indian Guides meeting, but it took a rainy day and Norton Juster to make it magic. I was banned from watching TV due to bad grades and forced to tag along with mom on errands, including her frequent trips to the library. One day an elderly librarian took pity and slipped me a copy of Juster’s Phantom Tollbooth, a book about a boy my age fighting terminal boredom. As a result, this woman opened up the world of reading to me, transporting me to new worlds. When I returned the book the next week, the librarian suggested another, then another. I left with a shiny new library card, a stack of eight books, and a love of reading that would last the rest of my life.

I couldn’t tell you her salary or the percentage of my parents’ tax dollars that paid it. If you’d asked my parents, they’d have called it priceless.

In middle school, the library permitted me to bring home all the music I couldn’t otherwise afford; by high school, they added VHS movies. In college, I was given free access to online journals and eventually media for my mobile computing. However, the evolution of the library included not only the manner in which the library allowed us to access information, but also the manner in which it was consumed. Typing rooms became mobile offices with free internet; children’s areas were expanded to encourage ReadAlongs and extensive programming; study booths added computer stations and stacks were reorganized to accommodate lounge areas. Librarians evolved into media specialists in order to wrangle all the assorted resources into a cohesive system that improved access. Once merely the gatekeepers of the written word, media specialists now guided and educated visitors on ways to better understand the wealth of information available in all its forms.

I couldn’t tell you how much it cost to train them or the time this training required. If you’d asked the students or job seekers who got the help they desperately needed, they’d have thought it worthwhile.

Today, the role of the media specialist is even more important as the amount and variety of information explodes. Instead of being provided neatly on bookshelves, information accessed digitally is often disorganized. In addition to offering a level of quality control with regard to the validity of resources, media specialists can cull the overwhelming number of those resources in order to maximize results and save time. Rather than a decline in attendance, the evolution of the modern library has created a need to service a larger number of patrons representing a wider segment of our population.

In difficult economic times, it’s important to remember that equal access has always been the cornerstone of the American library system. Those who cannot afford books, videos, computers, or internet connections are afforded the opportunity without cost; those without the means to attend institutions of higher learning are provided the materials and training necessary to compete. There’s still no suitable substitute to the library and its mountains of content, and no other resource offers the time and expertise of the modern media specialist free of charge to the end user.

One need look no further than Stratford’s own media specialists to understand their importance to our community. The Stratford Library Association’s website (www.stratford.lib.ct.us) outlines the value we get for our money that goes far beyond what we should expect: for adults, free notary service, career services and training opportunities, and regular groups such as “Books Over Coffee,” “Script Talk,” and “Sunday Afternoon Talks.” Whether it was renowned author Bob Smith discussing Shakespeare’s plays or Caitlin Augusta leading the “Aspiring Authors” program for kids, the library has always celebrated the written word. Current offerings for Stratford youth include the “Rising Stars” program, the Anime Club, and “HomeworkHelp@SLA” (after-hours, one-on-one help for students by Stratford high school teachers). Based on the State of Connecticut’s 2010 Public Library Annual Statistical Report and Application for State Aid, Stratford library’s program attendance is more than twice the state average. Based on circulation per service hour, our library is much more than twice as busy as the state average! Attendance at Children’s programs (ages 6-11) is also more than twice the state average, and Young Adult program attendance is three times the state average. Stratford library’s collection turnover (circulation divided by collection size) is more than five times the state average.

Yet even before the recent budget cuts we’re slightly less than the state average for total full-time equivalent library employees based on town population. Over the years, the library has become a community hub because of the tireless efforts of this staff. We shouldn’t reward their hard work by handcuffing them with the current budget restrictions. It only took one library employee to turn this reluctant reader into an English teacher and published author. I have often shared with my students her promise to me that day: “Reading is a gift you give yourself, a ‘Get Out of Boredom Free’ card for every airport and doctor’s office in the world.”

In the same way, funding for our library is a gift we give our children and ourselves. Many residents were eloquent in defending the library from these cuts in recent public hearings—I defer to them for the more practical, fiscal arguments against the implementation. Instead, I fear for the next boy when that media specialist is not there to unlock new worlds for his generation.

I couldn’t tell you who came up with these cuts, nor the best way to say they’re dangerously short-sighted. If you’d asked me about maintaining the hours of our media specialists, I’d have said that some gifts we have to earn.