People sometimes say things like, “A public library saved my life” and “I was a library kid.”  Librarian Mychal Threets and author Neil Gaiman are among the well-known individuals who speak about the role of libraries in their lives and their communities.  Even more importantly, we hear these kinds of sentiments from the people in our own communities who find value, respite, and meaning in the public library.

Whenever I hear what public libraries mean and do for people, I feel honored to be a part of an institution that makes a difference for our communities each and every day, in how we support learning, life needs, and literacy for everyone from the youngest child to adults.  In the Preface to the third edition of Introduction to Public Librarianship, authors Kathleen de la Pena McCook and Jenny S. Bossaller write,

The public library is an institution founded in a belief in universal education and opportunity.  In the United States, there is no other institution that is as open and welcoming to every person regardless of age, abilities, or legal status.  Today, public libraries are symbols of equality, democracy, and the public good.  Our future is as much about the people in our communities as it is about the library as a place and platform. (McCook and Bossaller p. xvii)

Public libraries evolved from the goal of creating an informed and engaged citizenry. (Kranich 2020 p. 4) How can we have a strong democracy if our citizens are not educated, informed, and actively engaged? This foundational belief cultivated the notion of the public library as the People’s University.

The most impactful person who championed, and then financially supported this idea, was Andrew Carnegie.  Between 1883 and 1929, Carnegie funded the building of 1,867 public libraries in the United States (Digital Public Library).  As Yancy writes:

Carnegie was a robber baron–of that there can be no doubt.  But the institution of the free library that he did so much to encourage has contributed uniquely and by design to public literacy in this country, both paralleling and complementing the contributions made by schools and colleges.  In the United States, libraries, like schools, have served as information equalizers.

Now, 123 years after that first Carnegie library was created, those of us who are committed to education, and especially to lifelong learning, should take another look at libraries.  They have recently re-created themselves for the 21st century in ways that might be suggestive for an even more time-honored institution, the college or university. (Yancy p. 12)

As the People’s University, public libraries across the United States and US territories and make a difference every day for the communities they serve.  Public Libraries have been traditionally characterized by the collections they hold; however, over the past couple of decades, services public libraries offer have shifted from not only collections, but also to providing programs, classes, internet access, printing, job searching, outreach, and much more.  Literacy is also a focus and includes traditional literacy building blocks built into children’s programs and learning through play and adult programs that support adult learning.  Literacy learning at the library also includes classes and programs that foster financial, computer, information, and other types of literacy that are essential life skills and crucial for successfully navigating within the world.

Public Libraries build social capital within communities and serve as a third space that provides a welcoming environment, trusted staff, space for community engagement, and space that cultivates a sense of belonging.  The concept of social capital was first brought to the attention of libraries when Robert Putnam’s work, “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” notably did not include libraries (Preer, p. 60).  When Putnam spoke to the American Library Association Annual Conference in 2001, he described, “how Americans have stopped voting, curtailing their work with political parties and service organizations, and attended fewer community meetings and political events over the last 30 years” (Kranich 2001, p. 40).  After hearing this, and reflecting on services provided to communities, libraries started to invest more in community engagement, not only to build social capital but also to fight back against the alarms Putnam raised in his book and raise awareness of the services libraries provide for their communities.  Fast forward to the post-Covid present, cultivating a sense of belonging is so critical, as many of our community members yearn for a third space or place where they belong.

People who work in public libraries are often drawn to this work because of a strong sense of purpose.  They believe in service to the community, cultivating an environment of belonging for all members of the community, and the core values of librarianship including Access, Equity, Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Public Good, and Sustainability.  They believe in the Library Bill of Rights and do the daily work of creating policies and providing service that put the Core Values and Bill of Rights into practice.

I personally chose to work in public libraries because I am a purpose driven person who believes in an informed citizenry, service to the community, and making a difference for others.  Every day I got to work at the People’s University where I could serve, advocate for what I believed in, be a part of something bigger than myself, and work with others who held similar values and a passion for service.  I have seen first-hand how public libraries save lives, and witnessed how the people who work at a public library make this happen.

Some public libraries serve as one-person libraries where a single individual provides all services to the community including reference, circulation, reader’s advisory, collection development and stewardship, IT support, outreach, teaching classes and leading programs.  Other public libraries are a part of a library system that may offer services through multiple branches and bookmobile services.  In these libraries, staff tend to develop specialties that can include knowledge, skills, and abilities developed related to the age of the patron served, the specific job performed (collection development, teaching classes, planning programs), or unique neighborhoods served within a community.

It is important for public librarians to have 21st century skills to effectively perform their jobs, and students aspiring to work in a public library should cultivate these skills including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, flexibility, adaptability, global awareness, ability to work on a team, interpersonal skills, technology and media literacy, assessment, and resilience.

Looking to the future, people who work in public libraries will continue to cultivate an informed citizenry and social capital by providing collections, programs, and services to meet the needs of community members.  Some public libraries are beginning to hire social workers or community navigators to help connect patrons to needed community services and support the needs of staff members who serve patrons who are unhoused or underhoused, face food insecurity, struggle with mental health or chemical dependency, or are lonely and seeking connections and a place where they feel they belong.

The future of public libraries is bright.  Despite recent issues related to funding and book banning, public libraries continue to be trusted community institutions that make a difference for people every day.

Works Cited:

De la Pena McCook, & Bossaller, J. S. (2017). Introduction to Public Librarianship (3rd ed.). American Library Association, p. xvii. https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/18gddib/TN_cdi_proquest_ebookcentral_EBC5964195

Digital Public Library of America (n.d.). A History of US Public Libraries. Carnegie Libraries  Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://dp.la/exhibitions/history-us-public-libraries/carnegie-libraries

Kranich N.C. (2001). Libraries create social capital. Library Journal. 126(19):40-41.) https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/18gddib/TN_cdi_gale_lrcgauss_A81222256

Kranich, N. (2020). Democracy, Community, and Libraries. In Fournier, & Sarah, O. Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement (1st ed., pp. 1-15). ALA Editions. https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/18gddib/TN_cdi_proquest_ebookcentral_EBC6522834

Mayorquin, O. (Jan. 1, 2024).  Mychal Threets wants everyone to experience ‘library joy.’  New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/us/mychal-threets-librarian-influencer.html

Preer, J. (2001). Where Are Libraries in Bowling Alone? American Libraries, 32(8), 60. https://search.lib.uiowa.edu/permalink/f/18gddib/TN_cdi_proquest_reports_197149078

Yancy, K. B. (2005). The “People’s University”: Our (New) Public Libraries as Sites of Lifelong Learning. Change, 00091383, March/April 2005, Vol. 37, Issue 2 (pp. 12-19)

Kara Logsden has a Master’s in Library & Information Science from the University of Iowa.  Before joining SLIS, Kara worked at Iowa City Public Library for 21 years, serving on the leadership team.  She worked with the leadership team to plan for the $18.5 million expanded library in 2004 and led the team that planned for and initiated ICPL Bookmobile services for the Iowa City community beginning in 2017. Prior to public library service, she was Project Director for the Integrated Area Information Management Systems grant at Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and Director of the Patients’ Library at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  She has taught graduate courses on public libraries, community engagement, management, teams & leadership, and collection stewardship.