Libraries are Democracy
One of the clearest bellwethers of civic health in America is the public library, which makes the attacks against them all the more concerning.
Editors Note: I am the Secretary for the Board of Trustees of my town’s public library. The post herein is my personal opinion and is not the opinion of the board to which I belong.
There’s a common saying that goes “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” While the quote’s origin is about optimization algorithms and tradeoffs, it’s often commonly misattributed (including by this author) to mean that nothing is free in America. Even if the origin of the phrase doesn’t match common usage, the theorem that nothing in the United States comes for free remains true.
But there is one aspect of American life that is about as free as you can get in today’s late-stage capitalist world in which we find ourselves stuck: libraries. I cannot think of another public entity that costs nothing and is as useful and wide-ranging as your local public library. Their cost in a town’s budget is typically such that removing it would be a massive value loss for a town with almost no discernable gain on a budget ledger compared to all other services a municipality tends to provide. There is no monetarily freer entity in the US than the public library, even if they don’t provide lunch.
Land of the Free (For Now)
But while libraries may be free to their constituents, their institutional freedoms are coming under attack by fringe groups looking to assert their agendas on a service meant to be all-inclusive.
The point of a library is not to indoctrinate anyone, but to offer the widest range of material possible to a population completely free of charge. Some people don’t like that and have been trying to control what kind of reading material a free person walking into a building of their own free will is allowed to consume in a free country. While they typically do it under some banner of false patriotism or American values, I cannot think of anything more un-American.
Some towns have not only had to remove material from libraries (a loss in and of itself), but have had to shut entire libraries down in one of the ultimate “I’m taking my ball and going home” moves that these fringe groups can pull. In a world where the social safety net continues to shrink, and where libraries become defacto social service providers, defunding these institutions is an especially cruel tactic.
Why Would Anyone Want to Do This?
There are plenty of reasons why someone might do this, but the main one is that they are threatened by opposing viewpoints and are in a severely desperate bid for control within their own lives. The most popular kinds of book ban attempts happen in the post-toddler stage and the teen stage: moments of maturity in children in which parents lose a sense of control.
In the first, their baby isn’t their baby anymore and in the latter, their child is transitioning into an adult with much more independence than the parent is used to. That loss of control pushes them to lash out at an institution that provides knowledge, which is a precursor to power, which is something the offended parent is feeling bereft of.
There are certainly other reasons - publicity, fundraising appeals, general shit-stirring by people with truly nothing better to do. But the crux of it is the power that knowledge contains and the potential threat it poses to parental control. Zoomed out and taken through a state-based lens it’s clear why dictatorships control information flow through media outlets and why power-hungry regimes reliant on widespread ignorance of a populace like the Nazis went so far as to physically burn books to prevent citizens from accessing them. Public libraries exist as physical manifestations against these kinds of state-based control of knowledge.
But Some Books Are Scary
It’s true - not every book is for everybody (basically everyone who’s read A Little Life describes it as 800 pages of emotional waterboarding.) There are plenty of books I don’t think my kids are ready to read at their age. My approach is slightly different from the “ban the books” crowd in that I simply take an interest in what my kids are consuming instead of demanding a public resource bend to my will as a single citizen.
Libraries are a lot of things - but one thing they are not is parents. So if you don’t want your kids reading or consuming certain material, then don’t let them. If they’re sneaking behind your back and reading something you don’t like in the library, consider yourself lucky that their rebellion is reading books and not getting shithoused at house parties every weekend like it’s a varsity sport.
What Can I Do to Support Libraries?
I’m glad you asked - there’s a lot!
There’s the obvious answer of throwing money at the problem - libraries are chronically underfunded and are always extremely appreciative of private donations. Some towns have “Friends” groups dedicated to fundraising on behalf of local libraries (think of it like a Super PAC for your local library.) Even if a town doesn’t have one of these, ask a librarian how you can donate to them.
Outside of the dirty business of money, there are other simple things you can do. Make sure you’re a member of your local library - it’s completely free and gets you access to a ton of great stuff, including ebooks, digital magazine subscriptions, and movie streaming. Usually, all you need is a license or (if the address on your license is not for that town) a utility bill with your name on it.
Libraries also rely on political support to remain viable. Here’s a list of laws winding through state legislatures that could have negative impacts on your local library - see if any of them affect your constituency and let your reps know you’re not down with that.
Finally - if you really, really like libraries (or this post has inspired you) - most public libraries have boards of directors who handle the financial affairs and the overall running of the library along with the library’s director. They’re a crucial group of volunteers dedicated to keeping the public library system in America strong and serving its constituents in the best way possible. Poke around your local library’s website to see who’s on the board and if they’re looking for volunteers.
If all else fails, simply visit your local library while you’re home for the holidays. Stroll down the aisles and appreciate the public resource that this institution brings to your town. Plus, they’d love to see you!
Grab Bag Sections
WTF MTA: I’ve extolled the value of the MyMTA app on this newsletter before. I use it on both ways of my commute to map out which trains I’ll be taking to the third level of hell that is midtown Manhattan to catch my MetroNorth train home. However, it’s only as good as the information contained within it.
One day last week (I can’t remember which - they all blend together at this point) there were delays on the 4/5 thanks to a fire in the tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The app didn’t exactly lay this out and the 6 was deemed as normal service so I rolled the dice with the Lexington Avenue line. Dear reader, this was a mistake.
As we sat on the 6 between Astor and Bleecker, the helpful conductor explained that the 4/5 trains were being turned around at Brooklyn Bridge, which was causing some traffic jams for the 6 train. When we finally got to Bleecker I checked the app again to see if it was updated. Spoiler alert: it was not. I can only weep for the lemmings of NYC commuters with a pep in their step, thinking the 6 train was running normally that day.
Album of the Week: It’s getting cold in New York (well, cold by climate change standards.) So let’s head down to Jamaica to warm up with a Rolling Stones album that contains my favorite Stones song of all time. That’s right, it’s Goats Head Soup.
The Stones slowed it down for this one and I love it. Some nay-sayers point to this album (the band's 11th) as the beginning of a degradation in quality of their studio albums. I disagree - this is one of my favorite Stones albums.
But why Jamaica? The Stones were - in characteristic fashion - sticking it to the man by avoiding taxes in the UK so they essentially self-exiled themselves and recorded the album in the Caribbean country, which inspired the name of the album as mannish water is a popular dish in Jamaica that contains a goat’s head. No word on if they actually ended up saving on their tax bill.
“Angie” is my favorite Stones song (which makes it insane that the label didn’t want it to be the lead single off the album because it was a ballad, even though soft rock was having a moment in the early 70s - read the room Atlantic!)
The A side of the album has no skippable songs - “Dancing with Mr. D,” “100 Years Ago,” “Coming Down Again,” “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker),” and “Angie.” Side B is anchored by “Star Star,” which should really be called “Starfucker” but you can thank the prudes over at Atlantic for that one, too. In between Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey, throw this Stones album on the turntable this week.
Quote(s) of the Week: “Libraries are directly and immediately involved in the conflict which divides the world, and for two reasons; first, because they are essential to the functioning of a democratic society; second, because the contemporary conflict touches the integrity of scholarship, the freedom of the mind, and even the survival of culture, and libraries are the great symbols of the freedom of the mind.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Freedom is found through the portals of our nation’s libraries.” David McCullough
“A public library is the most democratic thing in the world. What can be found there has undone dictators and tyrants.” - Doris Lessing
See you next week!