January 11, 2010

On the City Library

What has happened to the city library system? Clearly funding and donations are down, largely due to Internet activity, which depletes the need for anyone with an income to make use of the public library.

When I was a student, the library was king. Now, with the onslaught of available information, much without a charge, I suppose the need is dying off. So where does the public library system stand?

During college, most of my research was done at the 42nd Street research library in Manhattan. I would bundle myself up, take the train to Grand Central, walk about four blocks, and spend the day working on research papers for college. At the time, this process was only mildly cumbersome, and I could have used my college's library, but I did not want to wait for inter-library loans on articles I needed. So off I would go to this historic building, sit at its antique oak tables, and read beneath the glow of the green shaded lamps. It may have been cumbersome to use, but it was picturesque and memorable.

As a young teacher, I spent my Sunday's at the Dallas Public Library, researching content for my lesson plans, gathering books and visuals for my students (many of whom had never seen the inside of the library), and write lessons. It was a sanctuary as much as it was an office.

Today, I am chagrined by the quality and staffing of the Austin Public Library. I thought I really nailed it this time. I was going to find some great books, a few DVDs, and save a bundle by returning to this resource. While the staff was very kind and helpful, there certainly were not enough of them. Books stood idle at the end of the stacks on rolling carts. So, if you did not find your text, you were to check the rack, which the short-handed staff would eventually shelve. The whole place needed a renovation as well. I could not even get to the second floor via the elevator because the "2" button was missing. I went to the third floor and walked down a flight.

I really wanted to find a few books on green architecture, four of which I found in the system, but only two of which I found in the stacks, despite their status of being "checked in." The one remaining copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking was in, but also not on the stacks. I did find a different work by the famed chef, which I checked out. However, when I went downstairs to the DVD and CD collection, I was nothing short of dumbfounded. When living in Dallas, I checked out most of my music, took it home and taped it. I planned to do the same (except update the "taping" to downloading on to the laptop and Ipod). The collection was nothing short of useless. Oh sure, I could check out any number of versions of some British actor reciting Troilus and Cressida or Le Tragedie de Carmen, but I was looking for some useful rock, jazz, or soundtracks. I found nothing I would want. The DVDs were not much better. Suffice it to say, and I brought home three DVDs, which I deemed the "best" to borrow for the evening's entertainment: Rear Window, an independent film called, Save Me, which we enjoyed (Gotta love that Judith Light!), and Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz, a documentary on the famous entertainer. If I were to return to the library to find other DVDs to rent, I would be forced to bring home Mountain Biking in California, Yentl, Ishtar, and and number of belly firming exercise work-outs for active women or senior citizens.

My heart does not break for me. It does so for the people who remain reliant on the library: the students, the families with small children who should be able to use public services such as this one, and those who can not afford to drop $20 a month on Netflicks. If I were a young teacher today, struggling to craft meaningful lessons for my needy students, I would have to admit that the public library could not meet my needs.

Solutions management is a tough one. Libraries are fighting extinction due to the ease of information found from the home PC. Kindall is pummeling the need for paper bound books. And I am not arguing that progressive technology is bad. Don't misunderstand. However, I am left with the question of where the public library is left but to perish.