Awhile ago there was a brief post on Fark.com about gaming in libraries (if you haven’t heard, it’s becoming a pretty widespread phenomenon). And the comments from the peanut gallery that followed were really…disheartening – lots of ignorant/outdated/plain wrong ideas about what kinds of spaces libraries are supposed to be, and plenty of derogatory ones about libraries and librarians trying too hard (in that ‘just fall over and die already, won’t you’ vein). Really, they were exactly the kind of thing I read too much of while we had our referendum site up – lots of negativity of the sort that makes you wonder why you’re doing what you’re doing if no one cares and you’re widely despised throughout the community. Granted, the people leaving the negative comments weren’t making the most out of their library use (or maybe I just assume this because if they only knew how wonderful it was…they couldn’t/wouldn’t say the things they said), and there were so many other people who called or stopped in after the referendum failed to commiserate and to say that they’d voted for it.

I try not to get too upset when I run across library-hate/ignorance – especially when it comes from people who are angry about their taxes in general and seem to be under the mistaken impression that we’re in league with the school district and receive all kinds of funding from/through them. This time around we tried to do a lot more education about where the library gets its funding, how its used, how additional tax monies would be used to improve the quality of service/experience at the library, etc.. But there are people who aren’t going to listen to that either. So. There’s only so much energy one should put into anger and frustration and fist-shaking. I had my own private little rant on Notepad, which I deleted after I felt better. There are plenty of library advocates who have said it better than me MANY times before. But then we had this meeting to discuss cost-saving measures we could adopt in the future to keep the library up and running (and there are so many other reasons that that was frustrating), and it turns out that many of our library staff have no idea what our purpose is. If *we* don’t even know what it is that we’re trying to achieve, how can we expect to pass that vision along to our users?

The most vocal of these, naturally, was sitting *right* behind me, proudly proclaiming her ignorance in my ear. I was so angry I couldn’t speak. Except to excuse myself to get away from her for a few minutes. So, what’d she say that got my panties all in a twist? Basically that our “business” was checkouts. And that nothing else really mattered. And that the only measure of our success was how many of those we performed, and whether those numbers were on the increase in comparison with previous fiscal years. Even the library director was taken aback. She said, “That’s not ALL we do.” Oh, she needed to have said so much more. And it’s festering in my head that I didn’t say more at that point. It’s going to be one of those things where it continues to bug me until I *do*, and I only hope that I can manage to be composed and rational when it finally bursts out of me. Maybe this is that opportunity.

So what are libraries to the people that use them? Are they just these repositories of stuff you can take home for free? In some cases and to some people, yes. But they also offer programs, events, classes, other services for low or no cost to their patrons – for personal interest, career development, enjoyment, education… Libraries provide access to computers, computer applications, software, the Internet, and in many cases other technology/gadgets – scanners, digital cameras, video cameras, sound/video editing equipment, card readers. Librarians help people find information they’re looking for, good books to read, movies to watch (so they don’t have to use Netflix or Blockbuster), music. Librarians provide research assistance, homework help, computer troubleshooting, friendly conversation, directions to anyplace (thank you Yahoo maps/Google maps/Mapquest, legal and tax forms. They lead book discussions, they help you update your MySpace, they help you type up and send out your resume, they know where MS Word 2007 is hiding its print command (they’ll even show you). And some librarians are offering programs that go beyond the usual storytimes for the young, and tax help for the old – they’re providing gaming programs (table top and console) for teens, tweens, seniors, and young adults in their 20s and 30s who may have ceased to see the library as *their* space. They want to know how it’s relevant to them. For plenty of people, the library is a place they can come to hang out – a place to meet their friends to study, or for tutoring, or to find a job, or to read the newspapers/magazines in front of the fire place. It’s a community space.

So, when this woman behind me says we should lose all the seating and tables in the public areas to make room for the ever-expanding collection, I’m shocked and appalled. No. You can’t just make the library a retail location. Then no one has a chance to form any kind of attachment to the place. We’re not just about the checkouts, we’re also an experience. You want people to linger, to relax, to enjoy being there – not to just get in, checkout and leave.

When I was at Harper College the other day, I spent a little over an hour sitting in the library. I wandered over to a table by the windows and caught up on my correspondence. When I’d had enough sunlight, I sat down at a computer and checked my email, plotted a course/map for the rest of the day, and updated my journal. I used to spend hours in the computer labs when I was in college (which were in the libraries), and hours more studying (or socializing) in the library proper. One morning at Harper reminded me how much I miss that experience. And how much I miss working in a library that provides a multiplicity of spaces to meet the needs of all kinds of users – quiet study areas, group study rooms, computer *labs*. And what about just going to the library to take in the atmosphere? Ours is so crowded and so noisy sometimes, it’s like “WHAT atmosphere? This place is toxic!”

I had a chance to talk with someone else the following day, and when she agreed with me (that the library is so much more than its checkouts), I felt so much better. And the desire to carve that woman’s heart out of her chest with my staple remover was ever so slightly diminished.