Our Libraries

In Challenging Times

When the Wadsworth Atheneum opened its doors in Hartford in 1842, Connecticut laid claim to having the first public art gallery in the United States, ending the era when art hung only on rich men’s walls.

The advent of the public library had occurred only a decade earlier in Peterborough NH when, in 1833, it opened the first truly tax-supported, free public library. In the two centuries since those momentous events, both kinds of institutions have adapted and changed, enriching the cultural landscape. The library, in particular, became a hub of community life.

Libraries continue to expand their role in daily life, changing with the public’s tastes and needs. Recently, the Salisbury Forum explored the issues challenging libraries in the 21st century. The presenter was Anthony Marx, president and CEO of the New York Public Library, the largest public library system in the US with 53 million items in its collection.

But as Marx discussed the many ways that the NYPL serves its different communities, it was evident that the massive organization’s efforts are mirrored in even the smallest of the tristate libraries.

“We’re concerned about social isolation, Marx said. “We are interested in increasing readers and building community.” And to that end the NYPL is expanding programming at its many branch libraries throughout the city.

“Our branch libraries have been beloved and used but were basically passive places,” he said. “People enjoyed reading and the digital connection they found there but now they have become education centers. There are pre-k story times, homework help, after-school programs, college guidance, work force development in two main areas—ESL (English as a Second Language) serving, yes, immigrants—and computers skills training. We’re committed to those activities, and it is powerful stuff when you are meeting real needs.”

He added that libraries reflect Enlightenment values: “the belief that everyone can learn and should have access to the tools of learning.”

Such social outreach can be found in local libraries, as well. In Kent, for instance, programs include a wide variety of social activities from story times for future readers all the way through to book clubs, author talks, social nights for young adults, language sessions in French and Spanish and a talk group that gathers to discuss issues of the day.

“Libraries are very consciously changing, pushing out rather than being hush-hush places,” said Kent Memorial Library Director Sarah Marshall. “They are really community places. We are all making efforts to bring people together.”

Perhaps because of their egalitarian role, polls show that libraries are the most trusted of civic institutions. “We live in complicated and challenging times,” Marx told his audience. “Libraries play a critical role and are an essential foundational part of the community.”

Both the big city library and local institutions are seeing increasing demand for material. Happily, Marx said, reading is increasing, whether it be through physical, online or audible books. “We should ensure that pattern continues,” he said. “It is irreplaceable and helps people to understand themselves and other people, it lowers divisions between people and needs to be bolstered.”

The increasing demand for material in different forms is something that Marshall is experiencing as well. Physical volumes are now only part of the way reading material is delivered, Marshall said. “We are investing in our readers and not picking how people will read. Audio books count too. People feared people wouldn’t read books anymore but, no, we have more readers. It’s more about accessing the information and not qualifying how. All budgets have shifted to make them available but it is costly.”

Marx worried about the current divisive climate in the country. “Books are being banned in America—I never thought I would live to see that—but here we are. So (NYPL) is unbanning books, putting them up online. We’ve seen programs gutted, seen the Librarian of Congress fired, seen democracy under attack, seen access to knowledge and free expression under attack. So we will fight back, because that what we’re here to do.”

Again, it is a problem reflected at the local level. Earlier this year, the Trump administration attempted through an executive order and budget proposals to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary federal agency that provides funding to state libraries. The effort was later overturned by the courts but would have cut Library Services and Technology Act grants that libraries depend on to provide essential services.

Until funding was restored, libraries in several states (mostly Blue States) were forced to cut back on services such as e-books, audiobooks and interlibrary loan programs. The loss of funds threatened core library programs including early literacy initiatives, job search assistance, internet access for underserved communities and services for people with visual impairments.

“Funding is always an issue,” said Marshall. “We, in Kent, were never recipients of federal funding but the state library serves all of us.” She said Kent readers order thousands of books each year through interlibrary loans that are delivered by a van that circulates among the towns, a delivery service that was threatened. “Think about the cost of that,” she said. “We get six bins of books a week and send out as many. Think of paying $4 to send a book by mail every time you want one.”

She dourly anticipates that despite the court’s decision that eliminating the IMLS is illegal, the administration will stop the funding anyway.

The State Library, which receives the federal funding, also adds clout behind issues that are irksome to local libraries. Marshall said she does not have room on her shelves for all the books readers want and downloading from the Internet make her collection richer. Last year alone the library received 350 e-books, 50 comic books, 1,600 audio books. 147 movies and tv shows and 22 music CDs from Hoopla, only one of the sites the library accesses. But subscriptions to such sites are costly and publishers vary in how they make the books available.

“Some publishers make a book available but only give you 50 ‘circs’ before you have to buy it again. They want to get paid for the circs. I can’t afford a big subscription so we have to have a budget cap or it would go through the roof,” Marshall said. “For Hoopla alone we pay $500 a month and we always hit that cap. It’s complicated and the State Library’s advocacy is working for us.”

The NYPL may, in the future, be able to ease some of these restraints. Marx said that despite sites like Google Books, there are 65 million books that cannot be put into the public domain because of copyright issues. The library aspires to digitize all its research collection to make it available to readers everywhere.

“At our research library, we have curators with unbelievable expertise,” he said. “That’s not going to be possible in every small town. What we can do is make our collection available to every small town.”

The physical quarters libraries occupy is another pressing concern. The NYPL is upgrading many of its branches. “We want you to come in,” said Marx. “Many of our branches were left to rot for decades. We’ve spent a billion dollars renovating then in the poorest neighborhoods. It’s amazing to see the boost in use.”

Kent is also addressing space needs at its century-old facility. A $6.5 million renovation and expansion program is slated to begin next year. “The focus of the expansion is the big community room and spaces for small quiet groups,” Marshall said, again reflecting the modern library’s role as a community center. “Now, we just have multi-use spaces which doesn’t work as well.”

Thus, Kent seeks to carry on the vision a group of book lovers expressed when they met in Bull’s Hall (now the House of Books) in February 1915 to pass a resolution that a Library Association “be organized and incorporated to establish and maintain a free Public Library for the people of Kent.”

“Libraries are gathering spaces, busy, noisy spaces, but it takes money,” said Marshall. “I am lucky to be working with an innovative board and a very supportive town.”