What I found most fascinating about Richard Rubin's contribution to The Portable MLIS is the various roles that libraries have played in different cultures through history, and what today's roles reflect about our own culture. Historically, roles have ranged from business affairs, religion, personal fulfillment, education, and last but not least, public service. Looking at each role of the library is like holding a special filtering lens up to each society to get a very clear view of that culture's morals and values. I had not previously considered that a library could give such a clarifying perspective. I found myself especially pleased to be joining the ranks of librarians at a time when our culture places a high value on both education and public service. I am often teased that I am a "bleeding heart," but I feel adamently that a culture as stable and wealthy as ours has an obligation to provide educational opportunity to all.
Which is why I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Boston Library and especially Andrew Carnegie- can't wait to read a more thorough bio on him! (p. 8). They are excellent examples of the benefits to all of philanthropic endeavors. Regardless of what their initial reasons were for expanding library use, it became a win-win situation. If only we could trace all the people whose lives benefited from just these two philanthropic acts alone, we could clearly show the absolute necessity of allowing opportunity to all. How many have "pulled themselves up by their bootstraps" through the use of public libraries (Carnegie himself is an example!)? I must wonder where our culture could be if all our wealthiest donated as much as Carnegie did.
These musings tie in nicely with the ALA's Four Key Values, and my feelings about our culture's responsabilites. We can not possibly prepare our youth for a successful future without incorporating intellectual freedom, and serving all people within our society. Who knows at what social level the next Einstein will be born into? By providing an education to all, all will benefit from the more numerous advancements that can be made from a larger , more well- educated pool (as one with a science background, I know the value of standing on someone's shoulders to further research is immense). It is also critical to keep thorough, non-biased records of the past to ensure the greatest benefits to society- we need to be aware of these other shoulders to make use of them!
I can not fathom how some feel that libraries are an outdated artifact, however, there are some who do. It is paramount for us, as librarians, to educate everyone we meet on the importance of libraries and their role in society of service and education. In conclusion, when I imagine what our society would come to if we do not maintain our commitments to intellectual freedom, education, service, and a way to stay linked to our past, I fear writers such as George Orwell, Ray Bradbury and H. G. Wells may not be considered so fictitious after all. When I originally read 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and The Time Machine, I did not think about the role of libraries in these cultures, and the loss of these particular values. However, after reading Rubin's chapter, I feel an even stronger commitment to becoming a librarian and doing all that I can to pass on these core values, and evade the grim futures held forth in these novels!
References:
Rubin, R. E., (2008). Stepping Back and Looking Forward: Reflections on the Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship. In K. Haycock, & B. E. Sheldon (Eds.), The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts (pp. 3-14), Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited
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