Public Libraries as Facilitators of Democracy

Tracy Bedford

     In order for this to remain a truly democratic country, everyone needs to be able to participate. In recent times we’ve seen the rise of the 99% Movement whose central tenet is that the interests of the few in this country (those holding most of the wealth) are being put over the interests of the many. This can actually be seen in who has access to the most recent technology, which includes access to the internet, and therefore includes access to information. Many in the library world speak of the “digital divide” – the idea that the wealthiest Americans have more access to information because they can afford the newest technology, and that people with fewer resources are actually denied access to information because their lack of resources prohibits them from accessing technology that would give them access to information. The public library is really the only equalizer to this conundrum. However, under recent national and state government administrations the library is expected to provide this service with fewer resources itself.
   
       In Jaeger’s paper he discusses how critical library and librarian services were during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. All of the disaster relief forms from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) were only available online. Of course, people who needed FEMA’s help at this time were mostly disenfranchised and even if they weren’t, probably didn’t have access to the internet from their homes because they had been rendered homeless from the extensive flooding caused by the hurricane. The only access available to these people was at the surrounding public libraries.

      “One Mississippi library completed more than forty-five thousand FEMA applications for patrons in the first month after Katria struck – despite the fact that the libraries were not specifically prepared to offer such a service and that few library systems planned for this type of situation.”(Jaeger 2007)

     These libraries were not prepared for this volume of people. They did not have the manpower to deal efficiently with a national disaster, even though they were the only means available for the public to access needed information and federal resources.

     One can see the need for some sort of federal funding policy for public libraries if access to the internet is going to become the only way for citizens to participate in this democracy. If government services are to be available only online, and the internet is not a free service, there has to be a place for the disadvantaged to access that service for free. The library offers this service. Librarians too, are crucial to a government available only online. Some sort of instruction is necessary for citizens to be able to accurately access the government functions and librarians are increasingly being trained in the use of technology in Library Science programs.

References:

Jaeger, P. (2007). Public libraries, values, trust, and e-government. Information Technology and Libraries.

National Information Policy - One Definition

Tracy Bedford

(Dickerman, 2005)

     National information policy is difficult to define because it is so broad in scope.  Sandra Braman in her article, “Defining information policy” uses the following definition:

     “Information policy is comprised of laws, regulation, and doctrinal positions – and other decision making and practices with society-wide constitutive effects – involving information creation, processing, laws, access and use.” (Braman 2011)

       The formation of these policies is and will be critical to the future of public libraries and librarianship in general because as mentioned in the above definition, access is a key aspect of information policy.   Public libraries provide a free connection to information and to the internet and technology and therefore to governments and commerce for all people in their communities.  They may be the only publicly funded institution to do so.   Our code of ethics as librarians states that 

     "1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources: equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.”   (Haycock 2008)

     Therefore we are compelled to provide equal and free access to information to all of our citizenry.  This becomes particularly critical when considering our national government’s recent move to a more e-government format.  Many government functions are now handled on the internet.  Congress people can be reached through email, functions such as unemployment aid, taxes and disaster relief are increasingly only available online.  This becomes problematic for citizens who do not have internet access – typically the people who are most in need of government services such as disaster relief and unemployment benefits.  One of the only places where free computer use and internet access is available is the public library. Jaeger points out in his paper on public libraries values trust and e-government that “free services are of most relative value to those who have the fewest resources of their own” (Jaeger 2007)

Reference List

Braman, S. (2011). Defining information policy. Journal of Information Policy 1, 1-5

Dickerman, K. (Photographer). (2005). Almost all libraries offer free web access. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/national/24library.html?_r=1

Haycock, K. (2008). The portable mlis : insights from the experts. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Jaeger, P. (2007). Public libraries, values, trust, and e-government. Information Technology and Libraries.