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Are libraries essential?
Apr. 8th, 2020 04:05 pmWhat goods and services do you consider to be essential? Perhaps almost every one of us would offer up a slightly different list. One reaction I've heard quite a bit is "How come the LCBO is still open, but libraries are closed? Which is really a two-part question, when you come right down to it: first, why are liquor stores still open; and second, why are libraries closed?
Personally I believe they should both be open to some degree - and in fact, they are.
One obvious reason for continuing to sell liquor - and, for that matter, beer, wine and cannabis and possibly cigarettes, at least the electronic type - is that in addition to being perfectly legal (within certain parameters, obviously), they are a welcome source of government revenue at a time when additional revenue is sorely needed. If consumed sensibly, they also are beneficial at least to our mental health, allowing for a few small pleasures at a time when the world is stressed and anxious.
So on to libraries. Most public libraries are still offering e-books, videos and other resources remotely. Many library-based groups that used to meet in person are still meeting up online. Virtual library tours and orientations are still possible, although I'm not sure to what degree they're being used. And virtual reference has been a virtual reality for quite some time now.
But I do think they could up the ante a bit on their mobile and pickup & delivery services. Maybe some contactless homebound services to deliver "real" printed books to shut-ins and the self-isolating? You know, even in good times, most visitors to the library are expected to use self-checkout, so surely it's not such a leap to do this, assuming the books can be adequately sanitized before they go out to a new borrower. And then there are other things that some libraries lend out, like musical instruments and tools.
Of course, some services offered by libraries - for example, a quiet place to read or study or do homework, a place to use the internet if you don't have a computer or reliable internet at home, a place for homeless or other disadvantaged groups to hang out or just use the washroom, and some of the children's services too - are very much dependent on The Library as Place. Those are the kinds of things that I agree will need to be put on hold for now.
At the same time, there have been some unintended consequences of the drive towards making reading matter more readily available under pandemic conditions. Brewster Kahle, architect of the (U.S.-based) Internet Archive, has now set up a National Emergency Library, a seemingly unilateral decision for which he has been both lauded and reviled. Yesterday he posted on lessons learned from the first two weeks:
https://blog.archive.org/2020/04/07/the-national-emergency-library-who-needs-it-who-reads-it-lessons-from-the-first-two-weeks/
One of the more problematic decisions was to eliminate controlled digital lending so that those wishing to read a book still under copyright (as opposed to an older one now in the public domain) are no longer accessing a specific digital "copy" owned by the library. As many readers as wish to may access the book simultaneously. So no more wait lists!
Now, that may seem like a paradise for readers. Not so much for authors who no longer get any money from the public lending fees paid by libraries. Nor for booksellers or publishers who expect, quite reasonably, to make at least a modest profit from selling copies of books that are wildly popular at the library and have long wait lists. It wouldn't be so bad if there had been some sort of general appeal sent out to authors, asking if they would voluntarily release some of their work to be used in this matter. To add insult to injury, the Internet Archive claims to be a nonprofit and actively solicits donations from users, but makes no mention (as far as I could tell) as to whether any of this money makes its way back to those who (willingly or otherwise) have contributed the content.
Does the end justify the means? I'm not so sure, especially when I read of the number of library workers (particularly casual and part-time people with insecure incomes) who have been involuntarily laid off with no pay as a result of the closure of library buildings.
I became aware of this on reading Canadian mystery author Rick Blechta's April 7 post on http://typem4murder.blogspot.com
I have to say he was a little more moderate in his criticism of this than I would have been in his shoes.
I should add that there is also an Internet Archive Canada, established eight years later than Kahle's site, but serving as a kind of companion site. The Canadian Libraries page is well worth a visit, at https://archive.org The main centres of the Internet Archive Canada are at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta, although there are about 30 different scanning sites across Canada. I THINK the Canadian archive is separately managed and I really hope that when it comes to new copyrighted work, it won't just blithely ignore responsible digital rights management. I've raised the issue with some of my Ex Libris colleagues and they are definitely interested in how this pans out.
We shall see.
Personally I believe they should both be open to some degree - and in fact, they are.
One obvious reason for continuing to sell liquor - and, for that matter, beer, wine and cannabis and possibly cigarettes, at least the electronic type - is that in addition to being perfectly legal (within certain parameters, obviously), they are a welcome source of government revenue at a time when additional revenue is sorely needed. If consumed sensibly, they also are beneficial at least to our mental health, allowing for a few small pleasures at a time when the world is stressed and anxious.
So on to libraries. Most public libraries are still offering e-books, videos and other resources remotely. Many library-based groups that used to meet in person are still meeting up online. Virtual library tours and orientations are still possible, although I'm not sure to what degree they're being used. And virtual reference has been a virtual reality for quite some time now.
But I do think they could up the ante a bit on their mobile and pickup & delivery services. Maybe some contactless homebound services to deliver "real" printed books to shut-ins and the self-isolating? You know, even in good times, most visitors to the library are expected to use self-checkout, so surely it's not such a leap to do this, assuming the books can be adequately sanitized before they go out to a new borrower. And then there are other things that some libraries lend out, like musical instruments and tools.
Of course, some services offered by libraries - for example, a quiet place to read or study or do homework, a place to use the internet if you don't have a computer or reliable internet at home, a place for homeless or other disadvantaged groups to hang out or just use the washroom, and some of the children's services too - are very much dependent on The Library as Place. Those are the kinds of things that I agree will need to be put on hold for now.
At the same time, there have been some unintended consequences of the drive towards making reading matter more readily available under pandemic conditions. Brewster Kahle, architect of the (U.S.-based) Internet Archive, has now set up a National Emergency Library, a seemingly unilateral decision for which he has been both lauded and reviled. Yesterday he posted on lessons learned from the first two weeks:
https://blog.archive.org/2020/04/07/the-national-emergency-library-who-needs-it-who-reads-it-lessons-from-the-first-two-weeks/
One of the more problematic decisions was to eliminate controlled digital lending so that those wishing to read a book still under copyright (as opposed to an older one now in the public domain) are no longer accessing a specific digital "copy" owned by the library. As many readers as wish to may access the book simultaneously. So no more wait lists!
Now, that may seem like a paradise for readers. Not so much for authors who no longer get any money from the public lending fees paid by libraries. Nor for booksellers or publishers who expect, quite reasonably, to make at least a modest profit from selling copies of books that are wildly popular at the library and have long wait lists. It wouldn't be so bad if there had been some sort of general appeal sent out to authors, asking if they would voluntarily release some of their work to be used in this matter. To add insult to injury, the Internet Archive claims to be a nonprofit and actively solicits donations from users, but makes no mention (as far as I could tell) as to whether any of this money makes its way back to those who (willingly or otherwise) have contributed the content.
Does the end justify the means? I'm not so sure, especially when I read of the number of library workers (particularly casual and part-time people with insecure incomes) who have been involuntarily laid off with no pay as a result of the closure of library buildings.
I became aware of this on reading Canadian mystery author Rick Blechta's April 7 post on http://typem4murder.blogspot.com
I have to say he was a little more moderate in his criticism of this than I would have been in his shoes.
I should add that there is also an Internet Archive Canada, established eight years later than Kahle's site, but serving as a kind of companion site. The Canadian Libraries page is well worth a visit, at https://archive.org The main centres of the Internet Archive Canada are at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta, although there are about 30 different scanning sites across Canada. I THINK the Canadian archive is separately managed and I really hope that when it comes to new copyrighted work, it won't just blithely ignore responsible digital rights management. I've raised the issue with some of my Ex Libris colleagues and they are definitely interested in how this pans out.
We shall see.
