We’re Killing America’s Last Public Space

Public libraries have moved beyond simply providing access to copyright protected media. The modern public library is a space of innovation and connection; a tranquil, climate-controlled environment with access to wifi, study and lounging areas, early childhood literacy programs, job search assistance, and lessons ranging from technology use to crocheting. During times of disaster they act as warming or cooling centers for the unhoused or vaccine distribution centers in communities without robust infrastructure. They exist within an area coined a third place by Roy Oldenburg, a space beyond the home or office where citizens build relationships with their community. This category encompasses museums, cafes, bars, restaurants, malls, and virtually any other space where people congregate (Butler and Diaz 2017). However, the public library has one thing that other indoor third places lack: no barriers to entry. There are no tickets, screening process, required minimum purchase, pressure to buy something, or threat of being accused of loitering. At a public library, the policy stands that anyone can walk in and sit for hours as long as they don’t act disruptively.

Due to the unique position they serve in our society, libraries have the profound ability to improve economic and social development within their community. Research conducted by the Pew Research Institute found that public libraries are deeply trusted by the communities they serve and that this trust is a critical factor allowing public libraries to serve as a space of information retrieval with 65% of people saying that libraries contribute to helping people determine which information can be trusted(Horrigan 2015). During a time of rampant misinformation and distrust in public institutions, this attribute is incredibly important. Largely in part due to their dependable reputation, libraries have taken on the task of providing resources to communities that have been largely rejected by American society. Across the country, libraries have transformed into centers where immigrants can access help with settling into their new environment (regardless of documentation status) and where people regardless of socioeconomic background can receive help filling out arduous government forms and gain knowledge on which benefits they qualify for.

Beyond their list of services, libraries’ roles as public third places prove to be invaluable in strengthening community connections (Cabello and Butler 2022). The University of Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Institute of Museum and Library Services found that the unique qualities of accessibility and lack of entry barriers creates a space of social inclusion, specifically for community members that are elderly, unhoused, or the long term-unemployed, further connecting citizens and forming tighter knit neighborhoods (Institute of Museum and Library Services 2021). These interpersonal connections are crucial for lifting entire communities out of poverty and towards stages of further economic development. This effect has been carefully documented in the field of care economics which explores how closer bonds within communities promote caring for our neighbors and those who are most vulnerable, and how these shifted attitudes raise up entire economies (Folbre 2021). Given increasing ideological divides, American communities are desperately in need of third places such as public libraries.

Despite the crucial role public libraries play in our society and their potential for healing the American community dynamic, their budgets continue to be slashed on all levels. Within the last decade local and state governments have been cutting library funding by the millions. Regardless of party or ideological boundaries, politicians and policy makers are forsaking the power of the public library. Colorado, Texas, and New York City are among a sample of governments taking away resources and money from these institutions resulting in reduced resources, downsized staff, shorter hours, and,in some cases, closures (Fitzimmons 2023, Walters 2013, ). When state and local funding is taken away, libraries often lose eligibility for a range of federal funding creating a compounding effect leaving libraries high and dry. John Horrigan with the Pew Research Center found that defunding public libraries disproportionately harms low-income, black, and hispanic americans (Horrigan 2015). By defunding public libraries, policy makers are taking away a crucial resource from already underserved communities, stripping down critical foundations and leaving communities without support.

It is time for an aggressive campaign for the funding and promotion of public libraries. The physical infrastructure already exists and the personnel are ready. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel for long-lasting, sustainable change in communities. Through increasing funding and accessibility by public transportation, the positive impact of existing library resources can be expanded, avoiding the destruction of our last indoor, truly public, third place.

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References

Butler, Stuart M, and Carmen Diaz. “‘Third Places as Community Builders.” Brookings, Brookings, 22 Aug. 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/09/14/third-places-as-community-builders/.

Cabello, Marcela, and Stuart M Butler. “How Public Libraries Help Build Healthy Communities.” Brookings, Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/03/30/how-public-libraries-help-build-healthy-communities/.

Fitzsimmons, Emma G. “Mayor's Proposed Cuts to Libraries Will Hurt New Yorkers, Leaders Say.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Jan. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/nyregion/library-funding-cuts-eric-adams.html.

Folbre, Nancy. “An Economist's View on the Care Economy.” United States Department of Labor, 11 Aug. 2021, https://blog.dol.gov/2021/08/11/an-economists-view-on-the-care-economy.

Horrigan , John B. “Libraries at the Crossroads.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 15 Sept. 2015, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/.

Howard, Jennifer. “The Complicated Role of the Modern Public Library.” The National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities: The Magazine of The National Endowment for the Humanities , 2019, https://www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library.

Lietzau, Zeth. Budget Cuts and Their Impact on Library Services to Coloradans . Jan. 2004, https://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/budgetcuts.pdf?lrspdfmetric=no.

Oldenburg , Ray. “Every Community Deserves a Third Place .” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/04/13/the-pros-and-cons-of-gentrification/every-community-deserves-a-third-place.

“Social Role of the Library.” American Library Association , https://www.ala.org/tools/research/librariesmatter/category/social-role-library.

“Understanding the Social Wellbeing Impacts of the Nation's Libraries and Museums.” Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2021, https://www.imls.gov/publications/understanding-social-wellbeing-impacts-nations-libraries-and-museums.

Walters, Edgar. “Texas Libraries Face Federal Funding Cuts.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 7 Nov. 2013, https://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/07/texas-libraries-face-federal-funding-cuts.