There Are No Free Libraries
By D. J. Hoek
Wed, 03/13/2013 - 10:48
The best messaging promotes our real-world value
PrintOver the past few months, an image has been making its way around social media to underscore the value of libraries. It’s a checkout receipt from “your local library” that lists various borrowed items—three DVDs, five books, one ebook, six CDs—and the cost to the borrower for each, all of which are $0. Below the grand total of zero at the bottom of the receipt is the image’s take-home message: “Having a library card? Priceless.”
It’s one of several recent examples I’ve noticed in which libraries are characterized as being available at no cost to their users. Library marketing campaigns promote materials and services as “Free @ your library.” Freegal, a popular subscription download service available through some libraries, presents itself through its very name (free + legal) as a lawful no-cost source for digital music files. The American Library Association’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2012 repeatedly extols the importance of free library services, particularly during this time of economic downturn. As it states, “Americans are becoming ever more keenly aware that libraries are prime sources for free access to books, magazines, ebooks, DVDs, the internet, and professional assistance.”
Of course, the concept is not new. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the term “free libraries” differentiated libraries that were fully open to the public from the subscription libraries of the day, which were available exclusively to paying members. The “free library” model is the cornerstone of modern libraries, no matter how they are funded, so long as they are committed to assisting anyone who wishes to use materials or seeks an answer to a question. (Unrestricted access was so central to the founding mission of Philadelphia’s public library system that it remains prominently reflected in its name: Free Library of Philadelphia.)
But libraries, as we know, do not exist for free. They cost their communities—whether composed of taxpayers, tuition-payers, donors, or a combination—a substantial amount of money. It’s well-intentioned to emphasize that libraries provide materials and services without exacting immediate payment from users for each transaction. But today it is at best a mistake and at worst self-destructive to underrepresent the considerable ongoing investment that the members of a community make to have library collections, technology, personnel, and facilities available to them.
At the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference, media personality Glenn Beck made this same error in his closing keynote speech, in which he passionately condemned the social and economic changes brought by the Progressive Era—the period in US history that saw, among other developments, the widespread establishment of educational institutions and libraries (including the Free Library of Philadelphia) that were freely open to the public. In the midst of decrying those outcomes, Beck mentioned how he attained his knowledge of history. “I educated myself. I went to the library, where books are free.” Comedian Jon Stewart called out the irony during the February 22, 2010, episode of The Daily Show: “Glenn, Glenn, Glenn: The library isn’t free. It’s paid for with tax money. Free public libraries are the result of the Progressive movement to communally share books!”
Just as Beck exaggerated to make a point, librarians themselves have been glossing over the fact that library users pay, albeit indirectly, for everything their library offers. Rather than promote the “free library,” let’s remind our communities of their great investment and of the tremendous wealth of returns they derive from that investment: materials, specialized assistance, and programming.
That doesn’t mean libraries are free. It means that the cost of libraries is worth every cent.
D. J. HOEK is head of the Music Library at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
American Libraries Magazine | 50 East Huron | Chicago, IL 60611 | 2013© American Library Association | Staff Login
Comments
The idea that someone must
The idea that someone must pay for the services that patrons think of as “free” is a foreign concept to many citizens. The same folks who complain about their taxes are also the ones who complain about long wait lists for holds (“Why don’t you just buy more copies!!”) and other issues resulting from cutbacks in library funding.
In addition, we sometimes are left speechless by the citizens who say things like “Isn’t it nice that you girls volunteer here.” (To a masters-degreed professional with 20 years of experience.) “When is the publisher sending you your free copies of Glen Beck’s new book?” (Never, sir, we buy them the same as anyone else.) For some reason, people fail to understand that it takes more than volunteers to run a multi-branch system; that it takes training and continuing education to keep up with the technology, the authors, the issues that patrons ask about; that publishers are in the business of making money, so why would they give libraries books for free? And what about the electric bills, the cleaning costs, the purchases of computers, etc., etc., etc.?
We really have a long way to go in educating people about the value their very few library tax dollars buy. And that though they are free to walk in and make use of what we offer, it all comes with a very real price tag.
Just mentioning here, it
Just mentioning here, it seems a lot of folks have gotten confused about what exactly we are calling free. It goes without saying that it is not free to create and maintain the service, that enough is obvious - when the libraries say their service is free, they mean that it is free to the recipients of the service, not the creators of the service. Seems pretty obvious. I can’t imagine what all the hubbub is about apart from that point, with the exception that sometimes the creator of the service being provided for free to all does receive funds indirectly from SOME of the potential recipients. There are many cases where the recipient of the service is not paying for the service, like someone who does not have a job and therefore does not pay taxes, etc. At any rate I hope this clears some of the confusion up.
Excellent point
You make a great point that we should remind communities that their libraries are investments. IMLS has readily available statistics (for public libraries) to show exactly how much that investment is per capita, if you want to bring that into the conversation. In my locale the amount is $87 per capita annually. I was initially surprised that it was that high, but it’s about the same as Netflix streaming, and it’s the cost of just a handful of books or DVD’s.
Fish and water
imo, people who complain about the cost of government with0ut _first_ talking about the duties and responsibilities of government are like fish who complain about the cost of water.
If you don’t like government, move to Somalia or The Congo and see what sort of life you have, how stable the money supply or the judiciary or the concept of private property actually is. In America, your supposedly private property cannot be taken by anyone with a gun -because- of our government, not in spite of it.
Society pays for all the choices is makes in one way or another. If your society thinks education is too expensive, then it gets to reap the benefits of ignorance instead.
This Can't Be Stressed Often Enough
Yes, the services are provided for free, but they still have to be paid for, and this can’t be emphasized enough. Everything has a price. Politicians like to say they provide services, they like stories that say “government funds schools,” but in reality, it either comes out of our pockets, or we go into debt. Taxpayers must recognize that they pay for everything out there: schools, roads, health care for the poor, Medicare,the military. This should be driven home because free breeds a sense of entitlement that is destructive to the relationship between the government and its true rulers, we the people.
Libraries, and those who work in them, should be encouraged to speak the truth, to discuss and even argue. Do you really want to act like politicians?
catering to the lowest common denominator
I am a librarian with the FREE Library of Philadelphia— I grew up within many branches and I’ve been working for the system for more than 15 years now.
Yes, our tax dollars and contributions pay for the FREE services we provide. This article speaks to a very real problem, but it confuses the fact that we are not saying that the existence of the library is free, merely that the services and items the library provides are Free. Maybe some people out there don’t realize how libraries are funded, but isn’t the lot of the librarian to seek out every teachable moment? Much more importantly, rather than cater to the lowest common denominator (and open up the possibility that fees for various services and/or service levels could be instituted), I am proud of and dedicated to the continued existence of the FREE Library of Philadelphia, exactly as named.
This is exactly why
This is exactly why EveryLibrary exists: to help library tax funding be more secure and stable at the local ballot box. We believe that supporting the levies, bonds, and other referendum that establish or extend taxpayer support for libraries is essential to the long term viability of public libraries. EveryLibrary can help strategize when library funding is up for a vote by working with the local Political Action Committee (PAC) or friends group. EveryLibrary is a Federal PAC meaning we can help every library everywhere show how and why library funding is necessary.
Free Libraries
Promoting the concept of a free library is just as erroneous as promoting free Wi-Fi.
Common sense should tell you that even though you are being provided with Wi-Fi access for free, the library or McDonalds or whatever establishment you are frequenting is paying for that access on your behalf.
But not everyone has common sense and the more people see signs claiming something is “free” the more likely they are to assume that it actually is free.
Relatively few individuals understand how public libraries are funded. The last thing that will be productive for libraries is adding to the confusion by promoting the concept of a “free” library.
Free libraries
Great article! I heard many librarians talking to their patrons about how cool the libraries are for being free. I always try to emphasize to prospective patrons that coming to the library is really a good way for them to see their “taxes at work”. Now, if you’re investing in a public institution, which is a public investment, you want to take advantage of it!
Libraries are "free"
I often tell groups I am talking to that the library is “already paid for” by their taxes. They might as well use the services because they have already paid for them.
Thanks for this! I think
Thanks for this! I think calling public libraries free does a huge disservice for libraries and the communities who pay for them. Our library is near several communities who have chosen not to tax themselves for library service, but some people get so angry when they discover they have to pay a non-resident fee. “I’ve never had to pay for a library card anywhere else I’ve lived!” Well yes, you have. Also, I think in general people place higher value on the things they know they pay for. And what a great deal!
Applause! Applause!
My sentiments exactly. By continually proclaiming that libraries are ‘free,’ we librarians sell ourselves and our experience and service short.
Are libraries free? Not exactly...
Okay, okay…you are correct. Libraries aren’t free. Nothing is for free.
Unless, of course, you’re a public librarian receiving a gratuitous smile from a first grader who is checking out a book.
Or a YA librarian getting a hug from a young soldier who has just returned home and who wants to thank you for being his librarian. That hug is free.
Or perhaps you are being thanked for providing the perfect “Name Your Baby” book. That thank you is for free.
Sell our experience and skill set short? Nope…we know that we make a difference. And so do our patrons. Whether or not they have indirectly “paid” for their library. *Free* isn’t all that bad.
WE know ... but ...
In those situations, WE might know that we make a difference. And those few patrons know that we make a difference. But do our legislators / city and county officials know that we provide valuable services day in and day out? Those are the people who make decisions about funding libraries.
Yes, there are the patrons who thank us and put smiles on our faces, but there are just as many patrons who are billed an overdue fee and are outraged and decide they “could have just redboxed it” for less.
I think the better response, rather than promote library services as “free”, is to promote them as already having been paid for by the public. Draw attention to the small amount of tax dollars each individual pays and then highlight the return they get from the investment they already made.
What's in a word? A lot
The fact that libraries need money to run is a self evident fact that requires no explanation. So are we doing a disservice by describing libraries and the services they offer as being free? I don’t think so. LIbrary services are free to those who need them the most, I.e., those who cannot afford computers to fill out a job applications or books.
Thank you for that! People
Thank you for that! People seem to be bending over backwards to proudly assert the fact that libraries cost. Sure, they do. (Of course, they barely dent the cost of needless wars, etc. that I won’t go into.) It’s an obvious fact, and the article details that quite well. But… look at the political climate, folks. While of course I’d never deny that libraries cost something, I’m certainly not going to go out of my way to announce the fact. The myth of austerity has thoroughly permeated the popular cultures of the US, Canada and most of Europe (although a lot of European countries are beginning to acknowledge how it’s bunk). Does anyone honestly doubt that when “forced” to cut back, people won’t want to touch the sacred cows of the military, police forces, etc.? Libraries will be driven into a tight corner, “competing” with schools and hospitals. If the misconception that it’s all free is good enough for loonies like Glenn Beck, that’s fine with me.