> Kathleen de la Peña McCook, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor University of South Florida Serving the Demands of Democracy The critical role of libraries in ensuring the full civic participation of a diverse population P ublic libraries provide the wide-open door to information and knowledge to people of all ages, ethnicities, and economic status. Primarily funded by local communities taxing themselves, public libraries reflect a civic commitment to provide citizens with books, periodicals, and other media that enable them to be informed members of a democratic nation. Librarians work with diligence to serve the demands of democracy, to provide equitable access to information, and to contribute to the growth of strong communities. However, truly equitable access is not easily achieved. As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, the challenge to maintain equal access for all becomes more complex every day: • 56 million people in the U.S. have some sort of disability that must be accommodated; • 18 percent of the U.S. speaks a language other than English in the home; • 12 percent lives below the poverty level. To meet these challenges, state library plans increasingly reflect a focus on collections that include foreign language materials, strategies to ensure digital inclusion, and outreach initiatives that provide information literacy and family literacy to bridge economic barriers. Without these services and resources, the long-standing goal of full democratic participation simply cannot be realized. Equity Implementation of the librarians’ goal to provide equity of access has many aspects, including geographic (urban versus rural), usability for people with disabilities, linguistic diversity in materials for people with different languages, and overcoming economic barriers such as the digital divide. There are 34.6 million people in the U.S. whose earnings are below the official poverty rate ($18,400 for a family of four). Poverty disproportionately affects people of color (24.1 percent African American; 21.8 22 • Winter 2004 • Threshold percent Hispanic origin). The cost of books, periodicals, a functional computer, and online access to the Internet required to carry out basic job searches, study for the GED, or develop work skills are beyond the means of this large portion of the population. Underemployment has grown as the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act has placed strict limits on public assistance. These factors make public libraries a critical component in the effort of poor people to participate in workforce development. The Detroit Public Library Career and Employment Information Center staff helps job seekers map employment strategies, assists in resume development, provides 2,500 books on opportunities, assists in Internet job searches, holds seminars, and facilitates test preparation. The need for continued hard work to ensure equity requires constant reinforcement and recommitment as library budgets have been cut during the current economic downturn. Ironically, libraries become more critical in times of high unemployment as people can afford fewer materials in their personal budgets. Just as libraries provided opportunity during the Depression of the 1930s, in this period of the greatest job loss since Hoover, libraries provide information for those seeking jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, long-term unemployment has reached the highest level in 10 years, median household income is falling, and underemployment is in double digits. Public libraries can provide the resources needed to help workers find information about career development and education. Unlike formal assistance programs, the resources of public libraries can be accessed regardless of age, income, or education at any time there is a need. The American Library Association (ALA) has a long history of working to provide equitable access to library services for all people in the United States. By the late 1920s, the ALA had begun to work toward a national plan www.ciconline.org for library service to provide books to rural communities, and in government have come together to tackle the many issues relat1936, the ALA urged people to get involved in state and national ing to digital access from many vantage points. These include a planning to achieve “equalizing of library opportunity.” The pasfocus on the need for broadband for rural communities, providsage of the Library Services Act in 1956 supported state planning ing computer and Internet access, and ensuring that users have to reach rural citizens and moved librarians closer to the goal of instruction in the use of new technology. The 1996 Library Serequalization of access. The Library Services and Construction Act vices and Technology Act was implemented with special attention of 1966 expanded the federal role to include support for library to digital-divide issues. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation construction, service to urban areas, outreach to the disadvantaged, donations—40,000 computers in U.S. public libraries between and development of services to people with disabilities. 1997–2003—targeted the nation’s poorest communities. These Along with systemic efforts to equalize library access by geinitiatives, along with Universal Service (E-rate), provided highography and community, the ALA has also supported demonspeed Internet access in schools and public libraries. The Clinstration projects that would provide equity to diverse groups, as ton-Gore next generation Internet initiatives profoundly affected well as programs and services that meet the needs of people of the context of online access in libraries as librarians across the nacolor, people needing materials in their native languages, and peotion integrated these resources into daily library service. Their work ple with disabilities. The Diversity Fair held at the annual ALA has been continued through reauthorization of the Museums conference brings together model programs in order to provide and Library Services Act of 2003, which advances the role of liexamples that may be replicated in other libraries. At the 2003 braries to connect people to knowledge and ideas in this new era. Diversity Fair, programs such as these illustrated the variety of For the 47 million U.S. residents who speak a language other efforts in U.S. libraries: than English at home, public libraries provide resources to assist • Cultural Bonding at the Elmhurst branch of the Queens, N.Y., in learning English as a second language and access to materials Public Library includes serving the large (41 percent) Asianin native languages. The largest single language, Spanish, is spoPacific population with Lunar New Year celebrations, collecken by over 28 million.The challenges in serving this population tion development in Asian languages including Filipino and are great; many come from countries where public library servKorean, and Indic music and dance concerts to promote culices do not exist, they may not be literate in their spoken language, tural understanding. • Celebrating Cesar Chavez at the Boulder, Colo., Public Library includes panel discus- How Libraries Serve Diverse Communities sions, poetry readings, theater performances, Public libraries throughout the United States work collaboratively with their local and photography exhibits. Community part- communities to develop programs that meet local needs. The programs highlighted ners worked together to honor the work of below are representative of the kinds of programs local public libraries have develthis civil rights activist who fought on behalf oped to ensure equity of access to materials. of farmworkers. • Loaning Assistive Technology at the Lee Hmong, Somali, and Spanish Outreach The multi-lingual library outreach program Library Links! is a bridge between the County, Fla., Public Library includes examMinneapolis Public Library and new communities. Bilingual Outreach Liaisons also ples of the library’s efforts to provide devices work with public schools, develop languages collections and participate in community to assist those with low vision or in need of events. www.mplib.org/librarylinks.asp amplification to enable them to communicate and keep up with families and current events. Adaptive Technology People with print disabilities and seniors find a variety of adaptive technologies at the The opportunity for librarians to review Cleveland Public Library. These include JAWS for Windows (screen-reading), Zoomworkable solutions to the challenges of serv- Text Xtra (screen magnifier), Braille translators, and accessible workstations. Many ing diverse communities provides ideas and public libraries are adding these adaptive technologies and all public libraries facilitate models that may be reconfigured for local use of the services provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physineeds. Through the ongoing mechanism of cally Handicapped, including talking books and devices for using them. the Diversity Fair, the innovative work of li- www.cpl.org/Locations.asp?FormMode=LBPH_Tech brarians throughout the U.S. can be replicated Homework Centers for home communities. There are 31 Homework Centers at branches of the Los Angeles County Public LiElectronic access to information is also in- brary. Each Homework Center has enhanced educational resources for students, comcreasingly a barrier to equity. Eighty-six per- puters, and homework help. The libraries also provide early childhood pre-literacy cent of households earning $75,000 or more programs developed in collaboration with Head Start. per year have Internet access compared to 12.7 www.colapublib.org/children/parents/hmwork.html percent of households earning less than Learning Centers $15,000 per year. White (46.1 percent) and Adult learners working on the GED or needing basic reading assistance can use the Asian American/Pacific Islanders (56.8 per- Brooklyn Public Library Learning Centers and their Learn to Read @ the Library procent) have Internet access at levels approxi- gram. Volunteer tutors or technology-assisted learning provides part-time, flexible mately double those of African-American (23.5 support that is convenient for working adults. percent) and Hispanic (23.6 percent) house- www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/libraryservices/literacy.htm holds. For those on the other side of the dig- Bookmobile Service for the Homebound and Incarcerated ital divide, libraries ensure the public’s right Homebound Delivery upon request to nine townships and 46 Jackson County, Ind., to a free and open information society. communities over each two-week period; also serving Jackson County Juvenile DetenLibrarians, foundations, corporations, and tion Center and Jail. www.japl.lib.in.us/Bookmobile www.ciconline.org Threshold • Winter 2004 • 23 library signage and forms may be only in English, and few librarians are of Latino heritage. The Tucson-Pima Public Library represents a model of service in serving a Spanish-speaking population with a Spanish language Web site and services such as diala-story and children’s services that are bilingual. Overarching all efforts to ensure equity are the challenges faced by the 56 million people with disabilities. These include the needs of people who are blind or suffer vision problems, the hearing impaired, people with mobility needs, people with mental illness, and the homebound. Here again, libraries have been innovative. The Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy states that,“Libraries play a catalytic role in the lives of people with disabilities by facilitating their full participation in society.” Implementation of this policy is apparent at the Seattle Public Library (SPL). The LEAP (Library Equal Access Program) at SPL provides a wide range of services including sign-language interpreters for library programs, information and referral to area services for people with disabilities, adaptive equipment, newspapers for the blind, and collections on topics that relate to disabilities. As librarians strive to ensure “equity of access,” the key initiative of the 2003-2004 ALA president, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Md., underscores this goal: At a time when our public is challenged on multiple fronts, we need to recommit ourselves to the ideal of providing equal access to everyone, anywhere, anytime, and in any format. We need Library Organizations that Promote Equity Organizations in the Librarians of Color coalition affiliated with the American Library Association: American Indian Library Association (AILA) www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/aila.html Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) www.apalaweb.org Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) www.bcala.org Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) www.cala-web.org Special ALA units and roundtables also active in equity issues: Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. Libraries Serving Special Populations Section (people with vision, mobility, hearing, and developmental differences; people who are elderly; people in prisons and health care facilities). www.ala.org/lsspsTemplate.cfm?Section=LSSPS Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table. lonestar.utsa.edu/jbarnett/emie.html Office for Diversity. Spectrum Initiative, scholarship program. www.ala.org/diversity Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. Subcommittee on Service to the Poor and Homeless. www.ala.org/olos Social Responsibilities Round Table. Coretta Scott King Award Task Force. www.libr.org/SRRT Social Responsibilities Round Table. Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty Task Force. www.libr.org/HHP REFORMA. National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. www.reforma.org 24 • Winter 2004 • Threshold to pay particular attention to those groups who are already underserved, such as residents of rural and urban America, senior citizens and the disabled. By finally embracing equity of access we will be affirming our core valves, recognizing realities, and assuring our future. Democracy The role of the U.S. public library as a support to the democratic process has been well chronicled in Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty, edited by Nancy Kranich. The availability of books and free access to information in every community provides the resources for understanding the complexities of democratic governance—but ensuring that these materials are open to all citizens has been a parallel struggle. Beyond providing access to information, libraries also enable students and the general public to seek and use information critically. The exploitation of information to fashion arguments and examine options is a fundamental requirement in the analysis of the democratic process. With access to vast amounts of information through the use of technology, information literacy has increasingly been an important focus of librarians working to activate and support the use of materials in service to democracy. Frances Jacobson Harris, associate professor at the University of Illinois, outlines the need for schools to employ certified media specialists skilled in the use of information technologies to help students see information literacy as a tool of strategy. Meaningful discussions about democracy also take place at public libraries, supported by a convergence of resources as libraries partner with other agencies to serve the democratic process. Choices for the 21st Century: Defining our Role in a Changing World, an initiative designed to engage communities in dialogue concerning U.S. foreign policy, was held in U.S. public libraries prior to the 2000 elections with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The state library of Connecticut ensures universal access to core materials including key documents related to the founding of democracy for its residents. By forging connections such as these, libraries ensure that all people have access to materials that enable them to discuss and explore democracy. These ideals are also precious to school libraries, for educated youth are the future of democracy. As Henry A. Giroux recently noted, “People need to be educated for democracy and educational leadership not only by expanding their capacities to think critically, but also for assuming public responsibility through active participation in the very process of governing and engaging important social problems.” The existence of a library in schools is one of the few factors whose contribution to academic achievement has been documented empirically, and it is a contribution that cannot be explained away by other powerful influences on student performance. Children with access to a library collection that contains materials on all sides of issues not only have an opportunity to participate in the democratic process, but also are likely to perform better in academic subjects. But democracy is a hollow concept if people are not allowed to read freely without fear of reprisal. Challenges to free reading by agricultural and business interests during the Great Depression of the 1930s were the crucible that forged librarians’ passion for freedom to read, and led to the emergence of the ALA as central to U.S. librarians’ commitment to the ideals of First Amendment freedoms. The Grapes of Wrath was banned from some public libraries because community members felt Steinbeck’s so- www.ciconline.org D Provision of a Public Commons: The public cial commentary was “vile propaganda.” In reemocracy is a library provides a place where community sponse to this censorship, librarians adopted hollow concept if members can meet to discuss issues of local or the Library’s Bill of Rights in 1948. broader concern. This role is fostered by the liIn its ongoing affirmation of the values lipeople are not brary’s provision of material for decision-makbrarianship holds central, the ALA has apallowed to read ing and study. At a local level, people in a comproved the mandate that libraries preserve munity affected by environmental brownfields democratic society by making available the freely without fear might meet at the public library to discuss widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, strategies to find funds for remediation using and ideas. To this end, amidst the attacks on inof reprisal. ... library maps, online information, and govtellectual freedom during the McCarthy era, liLibrarians stand ernment documents. Broader concerns might brarians adopted the Freedom to Read Statement addressed when a National Endowment for in 1953, which begins with the words,“Freedom together as defend- be the Humanities traveling exhibit on George to read is essential to our democracy.” Washington comes to the public library, and Today, librarians seek to protect readers from ers of the people’s discussions about the foundations of democintrusions allowed by the USA Patriot Act. right to know. racy are fostered by library staff. The ALA’s resolution on the USA Patriot Act In their exploration of civic renewal,“Branch notes, “The ALA opposes any use of governLibraries: The Heartbeat of the Community,” Robert D. Putnam mental power to suppress the free and open exchange of knowland Lewis M. Feldstein report on Chicago Public Library neighedge and information or to intimidate individuals exercising free borhood branch libraries as active, responsive components of inquiry… ALA considers that sections of the USA Patriot Act local communities and as agents of change. A library card is a are a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights point of entry for new immigrants and a first step to particiof library users.” Most state library associations have also passed pation in public life. Throughout the United States, public liresolutions regarding the threat of the USA Patriot Act to the braries provide opportunities for people to receive English as democratic process. Librarians stand together across the United a second language education, adult basic-literacy tutoring, and States as defenders of the people’s right to know. personalized help in book selection. For people with disabiliCommunity ties, libraries provide books on tape or low-vision devices. Public libraries fill an important community-building role in The Future of Libraries towns and counties across the United States. The Encyclopedia Librarians have worked with diligence over the last decade to of Community lists three primary functions of public libraries maintain their traditional role in supporting lifelong learning, that contribute to this role: preservation of cultural heritage, and provision of a commu• Lifelong learning for local residents; nity commons while incorporating new technologies. At the cen• Preserving cultural heritage; ter of this effort is a determined focus on equalizing access by • Provision of a commons as part of the public sphere. developing services for special populations—people of color, people with disabilities, and people in economic need. The liLifelong Learning: Public libraries provide a full range of opbrarians’ goal is to ensure that all who reside in the United portunity for lifelong learning. Programs include Born to Read States have access to the resources they need—both print and for babies, toddlers, and parents; family literacy; storytelling and digital—to participate in the democratic process and to deenrichment for elementary-school children; and encouragevelop their capabilities to the fullest. < ment of reading by high-school students through Teen Read Week. Public libraries, often called “the people’s university,” not only develop collections for educational and recreational RESOURCES reading, they sponsor national programs such as “Research American Association of People with Disabilities. Web site. Revolution,” focused on science in our daily lives;“Forever Free: www.aapd.com Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation;”and the “Let’s Talk American Library Association. Resolutions and resources reAbout it!” reading and discussion series. garding the USA Patriot Act. Preserving Cultural Heritage: Long-standing public library collaboration with museums, archives, historical societies, and genealogy societies has been strengthened by the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Dr. Robert S. Martin, director of IMLS, has suggested that libraries can create public value by forming effective partnerships whenever we find an intersection of mission, goals, and activities. Innovative connections of libraries and museums to Head Start programs to activate interest in local history, environmental issues, or anthropology are a new approach to encourage the preservation of local cultural heritage. The library-museum partnership programs are now underway with federal funds, which will enable community-based projects to reach a broader grassroots audience. www.ciconline.org www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Issues_and_Advocacy American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom. Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition. Chicago: ALA, 2002. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program. Web site. www.gatesfoundation.org/Libraries Clinton-Gore Administration Record to Help Close the Digital Divide. Web site. clinton4.nara.gov/WH/new/html/Tue_Oct_3_134626_2000.html Detroit Public Library. Career & Employment Information Center. Web site. www.detroit.lib.mi.us/ceic/ceic_home_info.htm Digital Divide Network. Web site. www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/sections/index.cfm Economic Policy Institute. Web site. www.epinet.org continued on page 30 Threshold • Winter 2004 • 25 Building Forward continued from page 29 “The kids absolutely pour in to study after three o’clock,” says Buckley.“Altogether, throughout the building, we have 584 spots where people can sit and very few are open on a busy day.” A recent library science graduate of Simmons College, Buckley has only been at Cerritos Library for a few months. He describes it, aptly, as living in a dream. It’s important for communities contemplating library upgrades to know that it’s all right to dream big in planning for the future. “It has to be an emotional journey in terms of the planning,” advises Waynn Pearson, “and while it’s always understandable that you need to work within a framework budget and other restraints, if you don’t let your imagination soar, if you’re stifled from dealing with information, it limits you tremendously.” Serving the Demands of Democracy continued from page 25 Espinal, Isabel. “Wanted: Latino Librarians.” Critícas. (Sept.–Oct. 2003), 19–24. Giroux, Henry A. “Public Time and Educated Hope: Educational Leadership and the War Against Youth.” The Initiative Anthology: An Electronic Publication about Leadership, Culture, and Schooling. Miami Initiative on Leadership, Culture, and Schooling (February 28, 2003). www.units.muohio.edu/eduleadership/anthology/OA/OA03001.html Harris, Frances Jacobson. “Information Literacy in School Libraries: It Takes a Community.” Reference and User Services Quarterly. (Spring 2003), 215–223. Hayden, Carla D. “American Library Association responds to Attorney General remarks on librarians and USA PATRIOT Act: A statement by ALA President Carla Hayden.” News Release, Sept. 17, 2003. www.ala.org Presidential Initiative: Equity of Access. Web site. www.ala.org iCONN. The Connecticut Digital Library. Historic Documents and Texts. Web site. www.iconn.org/virtrefhistoric.html Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). “Museum and Library Services Act of 1996.” www.imls.gov/about/abt_1996.htm ———. “Bill Reauthorizing Museum and Library Services Act.” News release, Sept. 25, 2003. www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/092503.htm Jensen, Leif and Tim Slack. “Underemployment in America: Measurement and Evidence.” American Journal of Community Psychology. (Sept. 2003), 21–31. Kranich, Nancy, ed. Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty. Chicago: ALA, 2001. Lance, Keith Curry. “What Research Tells Us About the Importance of School Libraries.” White House Conference on School Libraries, June 2002. www.imls.gov/pubs/whitehouse0602/keithlance.htm Library of Congress. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation. Web site. lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html Lichtblau, Eric. “Ashcroft Mocks Librarians and Others Who Oppose Parts of Counterterrorism Law.” New York Times. (Sept. 16, 2003), Section A, 23. McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building. (Chicago: ALA, 2000). ———. “Libraries Build Community,” in Encyclopedia of Commu- 30 • Winter 2004 • Threshold Cerritos Library is proof that libraries, if you build them right, are very much a part of the future. “ ‘The Zeitgeist of the future is convergence’ has been a real mantra of ours,” Pearson says.“It’s not just bringing the book and the digital world together, it’s bringing human experiences in proximity with library services. It’s the whole enchilada, bringing everything together. “What we discovered is that people are creating their own experiences when it comes to our library,” Pearson concludes.“They take one of the leatherbound classics that they promised themselves they would always read, and they go over and snuggle up in a wingback chair next to the fireplace and read a chapter or two each time they come into the library, and in the process they finally get through that classic they’d wanted to read. There’s something about holding a leatherbound classic with its gilt pages and sitting there in this incredible library of your dreams and reading the stories that are unfolding.” < nity, ed. Karen Christensen and David Levinson. 1,114–1,117. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. ———. Rocks in the Whirlpool: The American Library Association and Equity of Access. ERIC. ED 462981. McDowell, Stephen D. and Sharon Strover. “Setting the Agenda for Rural Broadband.” Government Information Quarterly. 20:2 (2003). Marquis, Solina Kasten. “Collections and Services for the Spanish-Speaking.” Public Libraries. (May-June, 2003), 172–177. Martin, Robert S. “Beyond Advocacy: Building Community Partnerships in the New Century.” WHCLIST Preconference. April 1, 2003. www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/sp040103.htm National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). “Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year 2001.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, June 2003. nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003399.pdf ———. “Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999-2000: Overview of the Data for Public, Private, Public Charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Elementary and Secondary Schools.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. May 2002. nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/Quarterly/fall/2_1.asp National Endowment for the Humanities. Web site. www.neh.fed.us Putnam, Robert D. and Lewis M. Feldstein. “Branch Libraries: The Heartbeat of the Community.” Better Together: Restoring the American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. 34–54. Rader, H.B. “Teaching and Assessing Information Skills in the Twenty-First Century: A Global Perspective.” Library Trends. 51 (Fall 2002). Robbins, Louise S. Censorship and the American Public Library. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1996. Ross, Marcy and George Woodward. Appendix 2. “Libraries Build Community,” Encyclopedia of Community. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. 1,533–1,551. Shin, Hyon B. and Rosalind Bruno. “Language Use and EnglishSpeaking Ability: 2000.” Census 2000 Brief U.S. Bureau of the Census, October 2003. Seattle Public Library LEAP (Library Equal Access Program) . Web site. www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_specialservices_leap Tucson-Pima Public Library. Web site. www.lib.ci.tucson.az.us/espanol Venturella, K.M. Poor People and Library Services. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.Inc., 1998. www.ciconline.org