The Washington Post recently ran a piece declaring that the world was in the midst of a new “golden age” of libraries. The piece approvingly mentioned a few recent library projects around the world, including the just-opened Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo, which won thepublic library of the year award in 2021.The article approvingly cited the Norwegian library’s “stunning reading rooms . . . cinema, a 200-seat auditorium, cafes, recording studios, rehearsal spaces and game rooms.”
While the article focused on librariesabroad, there were a few mentions of American libraries, which have become moreinnovative. The recently expandedFayetteville Public Libraryin Arkansas, for example, “offers an ‘art and movement’ room, anevent center and a teaching kitchen, among other amenities.”
With articles like this portrayinglibraries as such vibrant places, one could easily be misled into thinking thatour nation’s libraries are thriving and central to the fabric of localcommunities. Sadly, at least in the United States, libraries arenot functioning as central pieces of social infrastructure and most Americans do not even visit theirlocal libraries regularly. Library devotees, journalists, and academics muststop focusing on a handful of spectacular new library projects and consider theoverall status of American libraries if we are going to actually revitalizethese hallowed institutions.
Consider the fact that the WashingtonPost piece mentioned the newly renovated Stavros Niarchos Foundation Libraryon 5th Avenue in mid-town Manhattan. This library is indeed breezyand open while offering ample places to read, along with a business center, apodcasting studio, a floor dedicated to children and teens, and a rooftopterrace. However, this is not a community library. While the library does offerclasses and spaces to gather and learn for guests of all ages, its location isnot within a residential area whatsoever and the library does not serve anyneighborhood or community — like many of the other almost 100 libraries thatare far less resourced.
While there have recently been a few nice library developments in the US, the Washington Post piece cherry-picked libraries from around the globe. The fact remains that library use has been in steady decline across the nation. Tim Coates has found a 31 percent decline in public library building use between 2000 and 2018. This decline has little to do with funding, as revenue has actually increased in most places, and most years, since 2012.
Moreover, a new national surveyfrom the Survey Center on American Life explores American communities and the data is unambiguous: Libraries are not significant to the lives of Americans whatsoever. Only 7 percent of Americans visit libraries weekly, while 22 percent report visiting libraries at least once or twice a month; hardly a large number. Almost six in 10 Americans report they seldom or never visit their local public library, with 32 percent — the plurality in the sample — saying they never do, bringing into question the purported centrality of these public spaces.
The lack of interest in librariesis a widespread phenomenon. There are, for instance, no real generationaldifferences — younger cohorts of Americans are as likely to visit the libraryas their grandparents are. About a fifth of every generational cohort reportsvisiting their local library at least once or twice a month. There are minimalgeographic differences too: Whether one lives ina small city suburb, big city, or rural area, people are not visiting librariesat variable rates. Income, distance, racial or ethnic, and even familialstructure differences are not statistically important either — Americans uniformlydo not visit libraries.
TheInstitute for Museum and Library Services’Public Library Survey (PLS) data finds that over the past decade, there has been a non-trivial decline in visits per capita to libraries nationwide. The PLS data showthat in 2009, Americans visited a library 5.4 times per year on average. A decade later in 2019, attendancedropped to 3.9 visits per year— a 28 percent decline.
The empirical reality is that libraries are not third places for most Americans; the average American rarely sets foot into one. Visits to the nation’s 16,000 or so library locations have been falling over the past decade. Articles in major news outlets which declare that the nation is witnessing a “golden age” of libraries are not only factually inaccurate but by ignoring reality harm those of us who care deeply for libraries. For if libraries today were so dynamic and were truly “at the heart of their communities,” it would not be the case that the overwhelming majority of citizens rarely or never visit their libraries. If newly improved libraries one day do help, improve, and change their communities for the better, they should then serve as models of innovation. But until then, it is wrong to suggest that the nation is experiencing a library renaissance.
Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
As a seasoned expert in library science and cultural institutions, I find the discourse around the alleged "golden age" of libraries, particularly in the United States, to be both intriguing and misleading. The article from The Washington Post attempts to paint a rosy picture of libraries worldwide, highlighting innovative projects such as the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo and the Fayetteville Public Library in Arkansas. However, a nuanced examination reveals a more complex reality.
Let's dissect the key concepts and arguments presented in the article by Samuel J. Abrams:
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Library Projects Worldwide:
- The article showcases several global library projects, emphasizing their innovative features such as stunning reading rooms, cinemas, auditoriums, cafes, recording studios, rehearsal spaces, and game rooms. Examples include the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Manhattan.
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American Libraries' Innovation:
- The article briefly mentions the Fayetteville Public Library in Arkansas, which expanded to include an "art and movement" room, an event center, and a teaching kitchen, among other amenities. This suggests a trend towards more innovative offerings in American libraries.
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Library Decline in the United States:
- Despite the positive portrayals, the author argues that libraries in the United States are not thriving as central pieces of social infrastructure. Library use has been on a steady decline, with a 31 percent decrease in public library building use between 2000 and 2018.
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Survey Data on Library Visits:
- The article refers to a national survey from the Survey Center on American Life, stating that only 7 percent of Americans visit libraries weekly, while 22 percent visit once or twice a month. Almost six in 10 Americans report seldom or never visiting their local public library.
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Generational and Geographic Trends:
- The lack of interest in libraries is portrayed as a widespread phenomenon, transcending generational, geographic, income, racial, ethnic, and familial structure differences. The data suggests that Americans uniformly do not visit libraries at significant rates.
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Decline in Library Attendance:
- The Institute for Museum and Library Services' Public Library Survey data reveals a non-trivial decline in library visits per capita over the past decade. In 2009, Americans visited libraries 5.4 times per year on average, dropping to 3.9 visits per year in 2019—a 28 percent decline.
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Critique of the "Golden Age" Narrative:
- The author criticizes the notion of a "golden age" of libraries, arguing that such declarations are factually inaccurate. The decline in library visits contradicts the idea that libraries are currently thriving and at the heart of their communities.
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Call for Realism:
- Samuel J. Abrams, identified as a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, calls for a realistic assessment of the state of American libraries. He argues against romanticizing the current state of libraries and suggests that improvements are needed before declaring a library renaissance.
In conclusion, the article challenges the prevailing narrative about the flourishing state of libraries, presenting evidence of a decline in library use and questioning the impact of recent library developments on community engagement. This nuanced perspective encourages a more honest and critical examination of the role and status of libraries in contemporary society.
