Public Perceptions of Public Libraries
Written by Laura Roberts
Over the years, libraries have developed a reputation as a silent, dusty retreat for the “shrinking violets” and “bookworms” of the world. The typical stereotype of a librarian, for example, is a stern- faced woman, almost at the age of retirement, with her hair in a bun and a pair of glasses perched on the tip of her nose. The stereotype of the library itself is that of a cold, dull, boring place. If libraries can prove this stereotype wrong, then they could gain many more visitors.Gradually, this perception of librarians is changing, along with the public libraries’ image revamp: campaigns, such as “Love Libraries” aim to demolish the negative stereotypes that libraries have, and to encourage the public to see them in a different light. They try to make the point that a library is not just a building full of books. And it is certainly not a place where we can’t even whisper without an angry, side- ways glance from the library staff. Is this the beginning of a new era? Will people no longer be ignorant of the services that the library offers? With enough advertising, the wider public could become aware of what a fantastic resource their local library is for their community.
Various ideas have been put into action to rid the library of its stereotypes, including Lancaster library’s “Get it Loud in Libraries” scheme. This involves bands playing gigs after-hours, amid the shelves of books. Since the first event, the organisers have also suggested a library- based festival. While this may be ambitious, there is no doubt that a scheme this big could do the library wonders in terms of publicity. If introducing teenagers to the library is the aim, then music is definitely a great way to communicate with that age group. Not only will they become more familiar with the library, but they will also have role models showing that libraries can be “cool”.
Other out-of-hours activities have been tried; one library in Belgium held a speed-dating evening to take place amongst the books. It proved to be a great success, and they intend to hold similar events again. But, are these events really encouraging people to use the library facilities? Or is it just showing that libraries can also be great entertainment venues?
Well, personally I think that any efforts to get people through the library doors can’t do it any harm. Once they’re in, they’ll no doubt catch a glimpse of the DVD rental section, or the Play station games rental, or the audio books or the FREE Internet access and PC use, or the scanner, or the fax machine, or the photocopier, or the books, newspaper and magazine collection. Or maybe they will even notice posters about language courses and kids’ activities that the library offers. The point is, there are so many resources on offer, most of which are free, or at least cheaper than they are offered elsewhere, but nobody seems to realise they exist.
Having worked in a library myself, I find it frustrating to know that the general public, younger generations in particular, do not make the most of the excellent services at their disposal. For example, while I was working at the library, a girl stood in the foyer while her friend looked for a book. After a while, she stuck her head round the door and asked, “Am I allowed in here if I’m not a member?” I couldn’t help but laugh; did she really think you couldn’t even enter the building without a card? And on several occasions, I was asked how much it cost to join up or how much you had to pay to borrow a book. “It’s FREE!” I wanted to shout, “Tell everyone, it’s free!”
One great thing about most libraries is the encouragement that they give to the young public. They run weekly children’s activities, such as “Wriggly Readers,” a book reading session for parents with children under four; and homework clubs for any child who wants help, or just access to a computer, or a free print-out of their work (and refreshments are often provided). For people of all ages, there are language courses offered; cultural diversity days; fair trade days; art exhibitions; writers’ groups; day learner courses; and access to many online resources which, ordinarily, are only available to paying customers.
It is not just how to join the library, or who is allowed to use the library, that remains unknown to many. It is also the availability of vast electronic resources that people are unaware of. So, if you know anyone who believes a library is just for books, I hope you will correct them, and open their eyes to the vast selection of goodies it has to offer.