Source: http://notesofnomads.com/wp-content/uploads/Lewisham-Micro-Library-London-3.jpg [accessed 16/03/2015]
The public library service that I used to work for offered their community: free internet access, baby and toddler sessions, adult language groups, reading groups, IT classes and introduction to ancestry.com. This was on top of providing books on loans and more general support in finding information. A public library offers much more than just a book exchange but it can only do this with properly with experienced trained paid staff.
Given the current political agenda to dismantle the public library service in the way we understand it, when libraries are mentioned on social media the conversation will often have a political dimension. That isn't of course to say that we can't wonder philosophically about what a library is or isn't, just that there are people losing their jobs right now (who work in libraries) for who this conversation has a particular potency.
This month a 'micro-library' housed in a phone-box in Lewisham won the government's Points of Light prize which highlights exceptional voluntary civil engagement. The project was described by media new outlets are 'London's smallest library'. I found myself angry at this celebration of a volunteer venture during a time in which publicly funded libraries are being decimated and under-valued by government agencies. Perhaps my anger was misdirected but I couldn't help thinking that the praising of community volunteer alternatives to publicly funded services was a real threat to the future of libraries in this country.
Something else that bothered me in one news story was the notion of impartially that the project seemingly had: "The entire concept of the Lewisham Micro-Library is based on pragmatism Handley stressed. There is no right or left wing economic model to it." (Thomas, Z., 2015). Surely someone like Sebastian Handley (who created the book exchange) would have an opinion on the situation faced by libraries currently. Why would a collection of people go to the trouble of creating and maintaining this venture if they are not passionate on the subject of libraries.
From reading gov.uk's entry concerning the Points of Lights award, the two people who maintain the book collection - there is no details on what this actually includes - are described as "2 librarians" (gov.uk, 2015). As there individuals librarians? and if so, by what definition? I would like to stress again that I am in no way criticising the work that they are doing especially given that they are not being paid to do so. Rather, I am suggesting that this is part of a broader trend in the de-valuing of a professional library worker's skill set. As someone who is studying library science at masters level, I feel very strongly that undermining paid library work has a negative impact on everyone. It threatens the quality of library services everywhere as well as threatening the livelihood of information workers.
Perhaps if the project was simply referred to as a 'book exchange' I might not have reacted so strongly but perhaps the fact that it was awarded such a prestigious prize for unpaid labour would have provoked the same feeling. The real worry comes when schemes such as these are seen as real alternatives to publicly funded library services.
References
gov.uk (2015) 'Points of Light: March 2015 winners', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/points-of-light-march-2015-winners [accessed 15/03/2015].
Thomas, Z. (2015) 'World wide attention for London’s smallest library', East London Lines. 11 March 2015. Available at: http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2015/03/world-wide-attention-awarded-to-londons-smallest-library/?utm_content=buffer3dd15&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer [accessed 15/03/2015].
