PSA: Thank your librarians & archivists, please!!!

Have you ever tried to get into a historical society to find they are only open from 2:00 - 2:15 pm every 2nd Tuesday of each month beginning with the letter P? It's frustrating right? Like, so frustrating you don't even want to "give them your business". Well, I'm here to ask you to rethink that.

Libraries are publicly funded. Some historical societies are publicly funded. And though I am not here to make a political stance, our modern society doesn't value these institutions, until we need them, that is. I wonder how many times you (yes, you!) patronized or thought to patronize your local library (if it was open) during the recent pandemic years. Library staff are always generating ideas for programs and events to reach the public and their community.

Very few people in the world, I imagine, have ever said "I don't know what I want to do with my life. I guess I'll be a librarian". The people who work in libraries love books. Like, a lot! They have deep relationships with the stories of the first book that ever blew their mind. Trust me. I'm not even a huge bookworm and I'll tell you all about my love-affair with F. Scott Fitzgerald that began when I was 15 and that I still have the copy of The Catcher in the Rye that my late brother gave me when I was 12...somewhere. I'd love to find an early copy of The Great Gatsby but I honestly don't know much about authenticating editions of books. But you know who might? A librarian.

Many of these lovers of books love to talk about books with people who love to talk about books. They like the smell, feel and sound of the library (back in the day when they used to be quiet. Good lord, people. Stop mistaking every public place for your own living room!). They are often introverts who don't like noise and who work well by themselves. They are artists, educators, collectors, gardeners in a group of students, professionals and retirees.

Sometimes, though, the lack of funding makes it hard for library personnel to love the business of libraries. This could largely be, in part, due to the disconnect between the service and the expectations of the public.

The same is true for people who work for historical societies.They love archival materials and discussing the history of the town or communities where they live. And many, many of them volunteer their time and don't get paid to be there at all.

Libraries and historical societies have newspaper collections and original manuscripts that you can't find anywhere else. These collections contain histories of so many individuals whose stories are yet to be told. Give it some thought: where do you think these materials will end up when these institutions are gone? Where will the wealth of knowledge live when there is no other place to go for information that can't be found on the web?

Recently I was researching the early kings of England and Europe. You'd think that it would be easy to find facts that are backed up by reliable source material for a subject that is centuries old (I think it might sound weird to say "millennia old", right? Yeah.). But I learned that there is so much garbage on the internet about history that is recklessly presented and without citation. So, where did I go for assistance on the backstory of Charlemagne? My library.

This subject might not be of consequence to you. And you'll find that at some point, you might have a need that is beyond what your computer can provide.

During the pandemic, public institutions were not essential and were forced to close temporarily. But "temporarily" turned into a year (or two!) for some. And others have still not opened to the public and maybe never will. This is a tough reality for researchers for the very reasons explained above: many materials we need can only be found at these places. And the reality for the staff is that, if they were able to go back to their job, there is a backlog of requests from public citizens looking for assistance many of whom are thinking "why can't the library get their act together and get me this thing that I need that I didn't care about before I needed it? It's just this one thing!". Yes it is one thing for you and everyone else.

The outside resources that libraries depend on are having their own staffing and backlog problems. The previous challenges facing public libraries still remain in that they are difficult to staff compounded with the woeful funds allocated for them. Now, there are new, ever-fluid challenges to keep up with the rapid change in the lifestyles of the public, their personal and business interests and service demands.

(photo of the Boston Public Library librarian's office, c. 1909)

Have you ever walked by a restaurant that went out of business and thought "I loved that place!" but in truth, you hadn't been there in years? The regret is still palpable and that doesn't change the reality that we walk with an unconscious belief that these places will always be present.

Don't let your local book and archive repository go out of business. Make it a priority to connect with your local institutions and the personnel who are servicing you and your community because their intention is to preserve it and make it better. Libraries are one of the only entities whose sole directive is to positively impact and scholastically influence the public. Please, be patient with your library staff. Manage your expectations. Value your historical institutions even when you don't need them in the moment. Because you will need them and it will be regrettable when they are gone.

Thank your librarian.